Cairo: Hamas said Thursday it would release the next group of Israeli hostages as planned, paving the war toward resolving a major dispute that threatened the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The militant group said Egyptian and Qatari mediators have affirmed that they will work to “remove all hurdles,” and that it would implement the truce deal.
The statement indicated three more Israeli hostages would be freed Saturday. There was no immediate comment from Israel on Hamas’ announcement.
Hamas’ move should allow the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to continue for now, but its future remains in doubt.
Hamas had threatened to delay the next release of Israeli hostages, accusing Israel of failing to meet its obligations to allow in tents and shelters, among other alleged violations of the truce. Israel, with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump, had threatened to renew its offensive if hostages were not freed.
Hamas said its delegation held talks in Cairo with Egyptian officials and was in contact with Qatar’s prime minister about increasing the entry of shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble into Gaza.
Egypt’s state-run Qahera TV, which is close to the country’s security services, reported that Egypt and Qatar had succeeded in resolving the dispute. The two Arab countries have served as key mediators with Hamas and helped broker the ceasefire, which took effect in January, 15 months into the war.
Egyptian media also aired footage showing trucks carrying temporary housing and bulldozers on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza. They reported that the trucks were heading to an Israeli inspection area before crossing into Gaza.
Trump has introduced more uncertainty
The truce faces a much bigger challenge in the coming weeks. The first phase is set to conclude at the beginning of March, and there have not yet been substantive negotiations over the second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an end to the war.
A Trump proposal to remove some 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and settle them in other countries has thrown the truce’s future into further doubt. The plan has been welcomed by Israel but vehemently rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries, which have refused to accept any influx of refugees. Human rights groups say it could amount to a war crime under international law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies are already calling for a resumption of the war after the first phase to implement Trump’s plan and annihilate Hamas, which remains in control of the territory after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history.
The war began October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. More than half have been released in deals with Hamas or other agreements, eight have been rescued and dozens of bodies have been recovered.
The captives are among the only bargaining chips Hamas has left, and it may be difficult to get the group to commit to further releases if it believes the war will resume.
Trump has given mixed signals about what he wants to see in Gaza.
He took credit for brokering the ceasefire, which was reached days before he took office after more than a year of negotiations mediated by the Biden administration. But he has also expressed misgivings about how the agreement is unfolding and says it’s up to Israel whether to resume the war or not while pledging continued U.S. military support.
Seventy-three hostages have not yet been released, around half of whom are believed to be dead. Nearly all the remaining hostages are men, including Israeli soldiers.
The war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Israel’s offensive has obliterated large parts of Gaza. At its height, the fighting had displaced 90% of the territory’s population of 2.3 million. Hundreds of thousands have returned to their homes since the ceasefire took hold, though many have found only mounds of rubble buried human remains and unexploded ordnance.
A new war would likely be far worse
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, echoing Trump, said Wednesday that “all hell will break loose” if Hamas stops releasing hostages. He said a “new Gaza war” wouldn’t end until Hamas was defeated, which would allow for Trump’s vision of mass displacement to be carried out.
With far fewer hostages remaining in Gaza, Israel would have more freedom of action militarily.
It would also face far fewer constraints from the United States, its main military patron. The Biden administration, while providing crucial military and diplomatic support, had occasionally pressed Israel to allow in more aid and at one point suspended some weapons shipments. It also said there should be no permanent displacement of its Palestinian population.
Trump has lifted restrictions on arms transfers, and his administration is pressing ahead with the sale of $7 billion worth of weapons approved under President Joe Biden.
Trump has said Gaza’s population should be resettled elsewhere in the region, with wealthy Arab countries paying for it. He has suggested that once the fighting ends, Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the United States, which would then redevelop it as the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key partner in Netanyahu’s fragile governing coalition, has called for a resumption of the war, the “voluntary migration” of large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza and the reestablishment of Jewish settlements there.
AP
