According to a recent agreement, Hamas is expected to release additional Israeli hostages on Saturday as planned. The Palestinian group, after negotiations in Egypt, has confirmed its commitment to implementing the cease-fire agreement with Israel on time.
The talks, mediated by Egyptian and Qatari officials, have reportedly been positive, with assurances that all obstacles will be removed. The agreement foresees the release of three more hostages.
Hamas had initially announced a delay in the next batch of hostage releases, citing Israeli non-compliance with the cease-fire agreement, particularly the failure to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Israel’s government responded by setting a deadline of Saturday morning for the release of the hostages, warning that the Israeli military would resume hostilities until the defeat of Hamas if the deadline was not met.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu relented yesterday, allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, as stipulated in the agreement. A total of 801 trucks, exceeding the agreed-upon number, entered the Gaza Strip, aiming to compensate for past shortages.
The cease-fire has been in effect since January 19. So far, 21 of the 33 initial hostages have been released to Israel, with Israel reciprocating by releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Negotiations for a second phase of the cease-fire, facilitated by Egypt and Qatar, began last week, with the goal of releasing the remaining hostages, withdrawing Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and bringing an end to the conflict. A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to continue discussions on the second phase of the cease-fire.