Palestinian militant group Hamas assured Thursday that it will release three Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip this weekend as planned, after accusing Israeli of violating the frail ceasefire agreement and threatening a delay.
“We are not interested in the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. We are keen to implement it and for imposing full compliance by Israel,” Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said in a Thursday statement to multiple outlets.
“The mediators are exerting pressure to complete the full implementation of the agreement, oblige Israel to abide by the humanitarian protocol, and to resume the exchange process on Saturday,” he added.
Hamas’ delegation spoke with Egypt’s officials and was in touch with Qatar’s prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani regarding the need to supply the war-torn region with more fuel, medical supplies and shelters, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Hamas, a designated terrorist group by the U.S., that if the hostages are not released on Saturday the ceasefire agreement, which brought a pause to more than 15 months of war, will shatter and fighting will resume. Netanyahu ordered the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to gather in and around the Gaza border in preparation.
“The decision I passed in the Cabinet unanimously is as follows: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense combat until Hamas is decisively defeated,” Netanyahu said Tuesday after meeting with his security Cabinet.
Hamas said Monday that it intended to delay the release of captives held in Gaza after accusing Israelis of violating the ceasefire terms, including allowing shelters and tents into the Strip.
President Trump warned the militant group over the weekend and again on Monday that if the group did not release the remaining hostages, the Jan. 19 ceasefire agreement would lapse early and “all hell is going to break out.”
The two groups are still in the first phase of the three-phase plan. The first phase is scheduled to last for six weeks and terms for the second chapter are yet to be hammered out.
Israel has freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners while Hamas has released 21 hostages during this agreement, including three last weekend who appeared to be in worse physical conditions than those previously released, sparking concerns among Israeli officials, including the prime minister.
The conflict was ignited after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 Israelis. The group also took more 250 people hostage.
Israel’s military responded with a bombing campaign that has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials — a tally that does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
