Hostage release to continue as planned, insists Hamas

Mediators appear to bring fragile ceasefire back from brink

- BEL TREW

Hamas says it will release Israeli hostages as planned tomorrow -apparently rescuing the fragile ceasefire in Gaza from collapse.

Mediators had scrambled to salvage the truce ahead of the deadline this weekend, when the next round of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees were due to be released.

The Palestinian militant group previously said it would not hand over the next three captives, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the truce, including shelling the territory and not allowing in shelters and humanitarian aid.

Israel’s leaders hit back with counterclaims and, together with close ally US president Donald Trump, threatened to pull out of the agreement, to “open the gates of hell”, and to start a “new Gaza war ... different in intensity”. Israel deployed additional troops to its border area with Gaza and cancelled leave for combat soldiers.

Yesterday Hamas said Egyptian and Qatari mediators affirmed that they would work to “remove all hurdles”, and that the group would implement the ceasefire deal. The statement indicated that three more Israeli hostages would be freed tomorrow, adding that “the talks were characterised by a positive spirit”.

Earlier, a Hamas official told The Independent that they were working with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to secure guarantees from Israel that shelter and aid materials outlined in the agreement would enter Gaza. Egypt’s state-run Cairo TV, which is close to the country’s security services, later played footage showing lorries carrying temporary housing and bulldozers on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza. There was no immediate comment from Israel.