Hamas backtracks, sticks to deal
The militant Hamas group backed out of an earlier threat to delay the next release of Israeli hostages after US President Donald Trump warned that the truce deal in Gaza between the Palestinian militant group and Israel should instead be scrapped.
Hamas had accused Israel of failing to meet its obligations to allow in tents and shelters, among other alleged violations of the truce. Israel had threatened to renew its offensive if hostages were not freed.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on Hamas’ announcement but if the hostages are freed, that would allow the ceasefire to continue for now, though the its future remains in doubt.
The fragile ceasefire has mostly held since it started on Jan. 19. During the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas has committed to freeing a total of 33 hostages kidnapped in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack in exchange for Israel releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The sides have carried out five swaps since Jan. 19, freeing 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners so far.
Complicated
The war could resume if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce.
The Palestinian militants signaled on Thursday that a crisis threatening to unravel an already fragile ceasefire in Gaza could be avoided even after trading accusations with Israel this week of ceasefire breaches.
Hamas said it did not want the deal to collapse, though it rejected what it called the “language of threats and intimidation” from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump. They have said the ceasefire should be canceled if the hostages are not released.
“Accordingly, Hamas reaffirms its commitment to implementing the agreement as signed, including the exchange of prisoners according to the specified timeline,” Hamas said in a statement.
‘Obstacles, gaps’
Hamas, whose Gaza chief leader Khalil Al-Hayya is visiting Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials, also said both Egyptian and Qatari mediators would press on with efforts “to remove obstacles and close gaps.”
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer later told reporters that three hostages must be released alive by Hamas on Saturday for the ceasefire to continue.
Hamas accused Israel this week of failing to respect stipulations calling for a massive increase in aid deliveries and said it would not hand over the three hostages due to be released on Saturday until the issue was resolved.
Israel has also accused Hamas of breaching the agreement, including on Thursday evening when the military said Hamas had fired a rocket from Gaza that landed in the enclave.
The military subsequently struck the launcher, it said.
Unexploded
A source in the Hamas-run police said the rocket was an unexploded Israeli ordinance that had ignited and fired into the air while it was being moved away from a residential area.
Reuters could not independently verify the claims.
After Hamas announced it would stop releasing hostages, Netanyahu ordered reserves to be called up and threatened to resume combat operations that have been paused for almost a month unless the hostages were returned.
Avi Dichter, a member of Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet, told Israeli public radio on Thursday that he did not believe Hamas would be able to get out of the agreement.
“There’s a deal, they won’t be able to give anything less than what is in the deal,” he said. “I don’t believe that Hamas can behave otherwise.”
Egyptian security sources told Reuters they expected heavy construction equipment to enter on Thursday and if that happened then Hamas would release hostages on Saturday.
The standoff between Israel and Hamas has threatened to reignite their conflict, which has devastated Gaza and taken the Middle East to the brink of a wider regional war.
The talks in Cairo have focused on issues such as Israel’s allowing the entry of mobile homes, tents, medical and fuel supplies, and heavy machinery needed for the removal of rubble, Hamas said.
