Itamar Eichner and Daniel Edelson
Ynet News, Jan. 15, 2025
‘Israel made it difficult, Hamas was the main obstacle’
Technical details in the agreement on the hostage release deal that is expected to come into effect in the coming days are still unresolved. The Israeli negotiation team, headed by Mossad Chief David Barnea, will remain in Qatar overnight Wednesday to conclude the details on the deal’s implementation, including the final list of Palestinian terrorists who will be freed.
More than a year after the previous hostage deal collapsed, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani convened a press conference Wednesday night, in which he officially announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement under which the cease-fire will begin on Sunday at 12:15 p.m.
Only after all the details have been finalized will the head of the National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, summon the members of the Security Cabinet to approve the deal, and a full government meeting is expected to follow. The negotiating team will likely participate remotely from Qatar.
Although both the far-right Religious Zionist and Otzma Yehudit parties have said they would oppose the deal, it is expected to be approved in the government by a large majority. The final names of the terrorists to be freed will be released by the government secretariat on Thursday to allow opponents to appeal to the Supreme Court. ….SOURCE