The Hamas terror group has reneged on the delivery of the second group of Israeli women and children to the Red Cross and then to Israel. Even as the families of the hostages slated to be released streamed to an Israeli hospital to meet their loved ones, the deal was being suspended by Hamas.

Hamas blamed Israel for several violations of the agreement, but Israeli officials firmly rejected the claims and said that the terror group was humiliating the Qatari and Egyptians interlocutors. The main stumbling block appeared to be the Hamas claim that Israel was not releasing prisoners according to the date they entered prison, but the Israelis said that there was no such requirement in the agreement. Indeed, earlier in the day, Israel had complained that Hamas had not kept understandings not to separate mothers from their children, leading to protracted negotiations which led to a smaller amount of hostages on the release list.

But later in the evening, as the delay in delivery of the hostages grew longer, Hamas announced the suspension of the hostage delivery, resisting pressure from the Egyptians and Qataris to allow the 12 Israeli to be handed over to the Red Cross.

At this time, at 8pm Israel time, there is a face to face confrontation between Egyptian and Hamas representatives at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, a direct clash that may well be decisive.

Meanwhile, it is reported that if the crisis is not resolved by midnight, Israel will consider it a cardinal violation of the agreement and consider the resumption of the Israeli offensive. Israeli is facing strong criticism from within the IDF and leading Arabist commentators that it will be necessary to show Hamas leaders who is taking the initiative by applying additional military pressure, quite possibly in a forceful and unambiguous manner.

At 8:30 it was reported by both Egyptian and Israel sources that the crisis was resolved and that the second delivery of hostages will take place. It appears, according to Channel 12, that strong pressure from Egypt is what solved the crisis.