The Palestinian group Hamas on Thursday said it will release three Israeli hostages on Saturday, as initially planned under the Gaza ceasefire agreement, reported the Associated Press (AP).
This move comes after a dispute that threatened the ceasefire deal and raised concerns over the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Ceasefire Resumption
After talks with key mediators Egypt and Qatar, Hamas said that the release of hostages will go as planned. The group said that it had held talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo and contacted the Qatari Prime Minister about delivering more shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment to Gaza for clearing rubble.
The mediators pledged to “remove all obstacles,” Hamas said in a statement. “Hamas confirms its continued position to implement the deal according to what was signed, which includes exchanging prisoners according to the specified timetable,” it added.
Dispute Resolved
In the light of this, Egypt’s Al-Qahera News reported on Thursday that Egypt and Qatar had succeeded in resolving the dispute.
Furthermore, the Egyptian broadcaster aired footage of trucks carrying temporary housing and bulldozers on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza, saying they were ready to enter the enclave.
Ceasefire at Risk
On Monday, Hamas announced in a statement that the release of the hostages that was scheduled to take place next Saturday “will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively.”
The group accused Israel of violating the ceasefire terms, including “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the Strip, and not allowing the entry of relief supplies in all their forms.”
This prompted Israel to put its military on high alert “for any possible scenario in Gaza.” Meanwhile, the US President, Donald Trump, threatened that “all hell will break out” if Hamas does not return all the hostages by Saturday noon, urging Israel to end the ceasefire agreement if hostages do not return.
