Hamas said on Thursday that there had been progress toward a hostage release this weekend amid widespread concern about the future of its precarious truce with Israel.
Mediators between the two sides were following up “to remove obstacles and close gaps” after “positive” talks with senior officials from Egypt and Qatar, Hamas said in a statement. Along with the United States, Egypt and Qatar have been brokering the cease-fire, which began with a six-week truce in late January.
Hamas said in the statement that it was still committed to upholding the cease-fire deal with Israel, which includes another release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday. But Hamas has also consistently said that depends on Israel’s upholding its end of the deal to the group’s satisfaction.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on Hamas’s latest statement.
In late January, both sides agreed to stop the devastating fighting in Gaza and free at least 33 hostages in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinians jailed by Israel. But over the past few days, officials across the region have feared the truce was at risk amid claims of cease-fire violations between the two sides.
Even if the current roadblock is surmounted, the future of the cease-fire is in question: Israel and Hamas have yet to agree on terms to extend the agreement after the initial six weeks.
Earlier this week, Hamas said that Israel was not upholding its end of the deal, mainly by failing to allow enough tents and other aid into Gaza, and suspended the release of the next few hostages in protest. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, then threatened to return to “intense fighting” unless hostages were released by Saturday afternoon.
President Trump added a further complication by demanding that all the remaining hostages should be freed by Saturday or “all hell is going to break out.” That message contradicted the cease-fire deal that Mr. Trump’s own envoys had helped to broker, which stipulates a graduated release of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator, recently led a delegation to Egypt for meetings with senior officials in an attempt to resolve the impasse, the group said on Thursday. The talks focused on allowing in heavy equipment for construction and clearing rubble, tents for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans and prefabricated homes, Hamas said, as per the terms laid out by the deal.
Although the United Nations and other aid organizations have reported a major rise in aid overall, Hamas says Israel is allowing in not enough tents and no prefabricated shelters at all.
Omer Dostri, Mr. Netanyahu’s spokesman, confirmed on Thursday that Israel was not allowing any prefabricated homes or heavy machinery into Gaza. He did not explain the rationale or say whether that might change in the future. Israel has at times barred “dual use” materials from entering Gaza, saying that they could be exploited by Hamas for military purposes.
Three Israeli officials and two mediators, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said earlier this week that Hamas’s claims about not receiving enough tents were accurate. But COGAT, the Israeli military unit that oversees aid deliveries, said in a written response that Hamas’s accusations were “completely false.”
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed reporting.
