The second group of hostages to be released by Hamas was delayed Saturday in part over a dispute regarding the amount of aid entering Gaza, according to Israel and US officials.
Hamas said it would wait on more trucks of aid to enter the enclave before facilitating the transfer, the sources said.
An Egyptian official said earlier that 340 aid trucks entered the crossing from the Egyptian side, but had so far not made it to the Gaza side, as they must be searched by Israel beforehand. A Rafah border crossing spokesperson told CNN that 133 trucks have entered Gaza so far today.
Asked about the delay, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said only that it is a “slow process.”
“It will take time, and we’re all waiting for this to move ahead,” Hecht said.
Earlier today, Hecht told CNN he expects 13 hostages to be released in total, in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners.
