Delays have already hampered the commencement of a four-day truce agreement between Israel and Hamas to let supplies into Gaza and free scores of hostages, which was supposed to take effect after nearly seven weeks of fighting.
The truce was supposed to start on Thursday at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT), but the exact time remains unknown because Israel has yet to announce when it will pause its air and ground offensive in the coastal area.
According to Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari, the procedure of returning hostages from Gaza to Israel is complicated and not yet concrete.
According to Hagari, the military is poised to implement the first part of the hostage swap arrangement.
The repatriation of the people kidnapped to the sealed-off coastal area, on the other hand, might take time and take place in stages, he warned.
“The release (of hostages) will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday,” Israel’s security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi was quoted by the Times of Israel as saying.
“The talks on the release of our hostages are progressing and will continue on an ongoing basis,” he said.
The first exchange of hostages kidnapped in Israel for Palestinian prisoners was initially expected to take place on Thursday.
The Times of Israel cited an Israeli official as explaining the delay by saying that both Israel and Hamas would have to sign a document ratifying the agreement for it to come into force.