Hamas said on Thursday it would release three more Israeli hostages as planned, paving the way toward resolving a major dispute over the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas had threatened to delay the release of the next batch of hostages, accusing Israel of failing to meet its obligations to allow the erection of tents and shelters for Palestinians returning to their destroyed homes. Israel, with the support of US President Donald Trump, had threatened to resume the offensive if the hostages were not released.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on Hamas's announcement, but the decision should allow the ceasefire to continue for the time being, although its future remains in doubt.
Hamas said its delegation held talks in Cairo with Egyptian officials and was in contact with the Qatari prime minister to bring more tents, medical supplies, fuel and heavy machinery to Gaza to clear rubble. These were Hamas' main demands in recent days. Hamas said in a statement that the mediators had pledged to "remove all obstacles."
Shortly after the announcement, Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou confirmed to the Associated Press news agency by telephone that three hostages would be released on Saturday.
Egypt's state-run TV Qahera, which is close to the security forces, reported that Egypt and Qatar had managed to resolve the differences. The two Arab countries have served as key mediators between Hamas and Israel and helped broker the ceasefire, which took effect in January, more than 15 months after the war began.
Egyptian media also broadcast footage showing trucks loaded with mobile homes and bulldozers on the Egyptian side of the Gaza border at Rafah. They reported that the trucks were heading to an Israeli inspection zone before crossing into the Gaza Strip.
Uncertainties over the future of the ceasefire
The ceasefire faces a much bigger challenge in the coming weeks. The first phase is due to end in early March, and there have yet to be substantive negotiations on the second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for a cessation of hostilities.
President Trump's proposal to remove some 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and resettle them elsewhere in the region has thrown the future of the ceasefire into doubt. The plan has been welcomed by Israel but strongly opposed by the Palestinians and Arab countries, which have refused to accept waves of Palestinian 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 now calling for a resumption of the war after the first phase in order to implement President 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 decades.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250 others. More than half of the hostages have been released, based on several agreements between Hamas and Israel, eight of them have been rescued, and the bodies of dozens of others have been recovered by the Israeli military.
The hostages are Hamas's only remaining leverage in negotiations with Israel, and it may be difficult for the group to release more hostages unless it receives guarantees that the fighting would not resume after their release.
President Trump has given mixed signals about what he wants to see in Gaza.
He took credit for brokering the ceasefire, which was reached just days before he was to begin his second term. But he has also expressed doubts about how the agreement is being implemented and says it is up to Israel whether to resume the war or not, while pledging continued U.S. military support for the Israeli military.
Seventy-three hostages have yet to be released, about half of whom are believed to be dead. Almost all of the remaining hostages are men, including Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its reporting. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants.
Israel's offensive has devastated large parts of Gaza. At its peak, the fighting displaced 90% of the territory's population of 2.3 million. Hundreds of thousands of people returned to their homes after a ceasefire was reached, although many have found only piles of rubble and human remains and unexploded ordnance.
A 'new war' is likely to be much more severe
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, echoing President Trump's comments, said Wednesday that "a fierce attack would begin" if Hamas stopped the release of the hostages. He said a "new war in Gaza" would not end until Hamas was defeated, which would allow President Trump's vision of the mass displacement of Gaza Strip residents to be implemented.
Given the smaller number of hostages remaining in Gaza, the Israeli military would have more freedom to operate. It would also face far fewer restrictions from the United States, its main military backer. The Biden administration, while providing substantial military and diplomatic support, has occasionally pressured Israel to allow more aid to pass to civilians in the Gaza Strip and at one point suspended some arms shipments. The Biden administration has also said that there should be no permanent displacement of Gaza’s Palestinian population.
President Trump has lifted restrictions on arms transfers to Israel and will complete the process of selling $7 billion worth of weapons approved during President Joe Biden's term.
President Trump has said that the population of Gaza should be relocated elsewhere in the region, with wealthy Arab countries paying for it. He has suggested that once the fighting ends, Israel should transfer control of Gaza to the United States, which would then develop it into “a Middle Eastern tourism hub.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key partner in Prime Minister Netanyahu's fragile governing coalition, has called for a resumption of the war, the "voluntary emigration" of large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza and the return of Jewish settlements there. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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