Prime Minister’s Office announces first group of hostages will be released Sunday despite delays

The PMO said the hostage release deal has been approved by both the security cabinet and the full cabinet.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced Friday that the first group of hostages will be released on Sunday despite delays in approving the deal.

The PMO said the hostage release deal has been approved by both the security cabinet and the full cabinet and added, “the release of hostages can be carried out according to the planned outline,” which will involve the release of three civilian female hostages on Sunday.

The security cabinet was meeting on Friday and the full government will convene and is expected to approve the deal.

Following these approvals, the High Court will hear arguments opposing the deal, but it is not expected to interfere with its progress.

Israel delayed a Cabinet vote on the hostage release and prisoner exchange agreement on Thursday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attributed the delay to a Hamas attempting to issue last-minute demands,  while growing tensions within his government coalition fueled concerns over the agreement’s implementation.

Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions.

“Hamas is backing out of the understandings and creating a last-minute crisis that prevents a settlement,” Netanyahu’s office said.

In a briefing Thursday, David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesman, said Hamas’ new demands dealt with the deployment of Israeli forces in the Philadelphi corridor, the narrow strip bordering Egypt that Israeli troops seized in May.

The ceasefire agreement has faced strong opposition from Netanyahu’s coalition partners, whose support is crucial for the Israeli prime minister to maintain power.

On Thursday, Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to resign from the government if the ceasefire is approved.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who had earlier threatened to leave the government, said he would consider supporting the first phase of the deal if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provides written assurances that the war will continue until Hamas is eliminated, which would be a prerequisite for his party to remain in the coalition.