Day 47 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Wednesday, Nov. 22

A nearly finalized deal will reportedly free 50 Hamas hostages in exchange for an unknown number of Palestinian women and minors in Israeli custody, a temporary cease-fire and pauses in drone surveillance.

Rina Bassist, Ezgi Akin, Beatrice Farhat, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Adam Lucente, Jack Dutton, Jared Szuba and Al-Monitor’s contributors on the ground in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel contributed to this blog.

Click here for our most recent updates.

Live updates (all times EDT):

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023

10:15 pm: US 'hopeful' hostage release process could start Friday

The Biden administration says the deal for the release of the hostages held in Gaza is still valid despite the one-day delay announced by Israeli authorities Wednesday evening. "The deal was agreed and remains agreed. The parties are working out final logistical details, particularly for the first day of implementation," said NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson, adding, "That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning."

8:40 pm: US warship downs drones over Red Sea

A US warship shot down several drones fired from Houthi-held territory in Yemen over the Red Sea, according to the US Central Command. In a post on X, CENTCOM said the USS Thomas Hudner on patrol in the Red Sea shot down “multiple one-way attack drones” launched from Yemen at dawn on Thursday local time. “The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury,” it added. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for several drone and missile attacks launched toward Israel since the start of the Hamas-Israel war and have also threatened ships linked to Israel.

4:47 pm: Release of Israeli hostages from Gaza delayed

The release of hostages as part of a temporary Israel-Hamas truce is delayed and won’t begin until at least Friday, the Israeli government said on Wednesday night. 

National security adviser Tzachi Hanegebi said in a statement, "Negotiations for the release of our captives are progressing and continue all the time. Release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday."

3:15 pm: US wants 'revitalized' Palestinian Authority, but can Abbas deliver?

US President Joe Biden has called for a "revitalized" Palestinian Authority, but it's up to Mahmoud Abbas to make it happen, and Washington and the Gulf would have to agree to its successors. Read Daoud Kuttab’s latest here.

2:00 pm: Gaza most dangerous place in world to be a child, UNICEF director tells UNSC

In an address to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that the Gaza Strip is the “most dangerous place in the world to be a child.”

According to Russell, more than 5,300 Palestinian children have been reported killed since the fighting started 46 days ago. Additionally, Russell said that UNICEF has received reports that more than 1,200 children remain trapped under rubble.

“The war must be brought to an end and the killing and maiming of children must stop immediately,” Russell told the UN Security Council.

The death toll for UN staff totals at least 108. Russell said that the war has been the “largest ever loss of life for UN personnel,” with more than 100 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East staff killed.

12:00 pm: What we know about Israel-Hamas cease-fire

The four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect on Thursday. Rina Bassist reports on the scope and limitations of the agreement.

11:40 am: Israel’s High Court rejects petition against hostage release deal

The High Court of Justice dismissed a petition filed by the Almagor organization representing victims of terror acts, against the Israel-Hamas hostage release deal, arguing it has no place to weigh in on government decisions of a clear political or diplomatic nature. The Israeli government approved the deal Wednesday morning but offered potential objectors 24 hours to appeal to the High Court against it. Almagor was the only group to do so.

10:30 am: 2 Israeli airstrikes hit Syria following Hamas deal, Damascus says

Syria accused Israel of carrying out more airstrikes on Wednesday inside its territory following the deal with Hamas to pause fighting in Gaza. Adam Lucente reports.

10:00 am: Jordan, UAE, Egypt welcome Israel-Hamas deal

Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt welcomed the Qatar-mediated agreement between Israel and Hamas to pause fighting in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages.

All three countries praised Qatar for its role in the agreement, with Jordan and the UAE also praising Egypt and the United States for helping broker the deal.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a Facebook post that he welcomes the “success achieved by the Egyptian-Qatari-American mediation.”

6:30 am: Hamas says Gaza cease-fire to start Thursday morning

The cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, agreed upon as part of the hostage release deal, will come into effect Thursday at 10:00 a.m. local time, said senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk. The Israeli government approved the deal early Wednesday that should see the release of 50 Israeli hostages, all women and children, held in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and minors in Israeli jails and a four-day pause in fighting.

Israel published a list of Palestinian prisoner candidates for release and offered the Israeli families of terror victims 24 hours to appeal to the High Court against the release of those who attacked their relatives.

4:00 am: Turkey’s Erdogan welcomes Gaza deal, calls for permanent cease-fire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the Israel-Hamas deal reached early Wednesday as “a positive development.” Addressing G20 leaders in a virtual meeting, Erdogan said, “We hope this step will lead to a permanent cease-fire and peace as soon as possible.”

He also urged the leaders to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Speaking earlier in the day, Erdogan said he might soon visit Egypt to discuss the situation in the Palestinian enclave.

Separately, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Turkey expects “full compliance with the agreement, which includes the release of some of the hostages and detainees and the increase in the amount of humanitarian aid allowed to enter Gaza.”

2:15 am: Hezbollah leader meets Hamas officials in Lebanon

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah met today with senior Hamas officials Osama Hamdan and Khalil al-Hayya in Lebanon. The three men “evaluated the stances and mulled all the choices on all the resistance fronts, especially Gaza,” Hezbollah’s news outlet Al-Manar reported. Hayya is Hamas’ head of Arab relations while Hamdan is a senior member of the bureau. The meeting followed Israel and Hamas agreeing to a four-day pause in fighting in exchange for the release of 50 hostages from Gaza.

12:40 am: Israel publishes list of Palestinian prisoners to be released

Israel’s Justice Ministry published on Wednesday a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners who could potentially be freed in the deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The deal approved by the Israeli government includes in a first stage the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 50 Israeli hostages. Because the cabinet hopes to extend it for more hostages to be freed in the coming days, it approved a larger list of Palestinian prisoners to be ready in case this happens. The publication of the list starts a 24-hour period during which Israelis can petition the High Court against the government’s decision. Only after any appeals are rejected would the deal be fully approved.

Click here for our most recent updates.