Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meeting with defense officials, suggested that Israel was trying to pressure Hamas into releasing six hostages in the first phase. However, an Arab diplomat warned that expectations should not be set too high.
Hamas announced on Thursday that it was backing down from its suspension of the prisoner swap, which it said had been suspended because Israel had failed to honor the ceasefire, and would release three Israeli hostages on Saturday. As Israel reportedly pressed for the release of more hostages, a senior Arab official told The Times of Israel that Hamas was unlikely to deviate from the timetable set out in the deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz met with senior military and security officials on Thursday evening to discuss how Israel could further pressure Hamas to bring forward the hostage return process.
Israel had announced that it would resume hostilities if the hostages were not released and backed US President Donald Trump’s demand for the release of all hostages.
Hamas said it held talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo and was in contact with the Qatari prime minister. Hamas’ main demands in recent days have been for more tents and prefabricated houses, medical supplies, fuel, and debris removal equipment to be delivered to Gaza. Hamas said the mediators had promised to “remove all obstacles.”
Netanyahu’s office described reports that Israel would allow prefabricated houses and heavy construction equipment into Gaza as “fake news.” “No mobile homes or heavy equipment are entering Gaza, and there is no such coordination,” Prime Minister’s Office spokesman Omar Dostri said.
However, Egyptian media published images of lorries and bulldozers carrying temporary shelters at the Rafah crossing on the Gaza border. According to reports, these lorries will be inspected by Israel before entering Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Abdullatif al-Qanu confirmed to Associated Press by telephone that the three hostages would be released on Saturday.
Under the ceasefire, which went into effect last month, a total of 17 hostages are scheduled to be released in the first phase, nine of whom are believed to be alive. In recent weeks, Hamas has released 16 Israelis and five Thai hostages as part of the deal. Israel, for its part, has agreed to release about 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners, including hundreds of prisoners serving life sentences.
While the prisoner swap appeared to be back on track, a rocket attack on Thursday raised concerns that the sides could return to hostilities. The rocket reportedly landed in the Nusayrat area inside Gaza, killing a 14-year-old boy. Hamas-led police sources said the rocket was actually an unexploded Israeli munition that exploded while being transported.
The Israeli army said it had struck the source of the attack in the Burayj camp in central Gaza. Also on Wednesday, the army carried out a drone strike against Palestinians trying to retrieve a smuggled drone in Rafah, killing one person.
At the Israeli army’s Southern Command in Beersheba, Netanyahu held a meeting with senior security officials for more than four hours. The meeting was attended by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar, and Southern Command Chief Yaron Finkelman.
Israeli officials had expected Hamas to announce today the names of the three hostages it planned to release on Saturday. According to Channel 12, Israel was also trying to pressure mediators Qatar, Egypt, and the United States to release the six hostages before their scheduled release date.
Israel is trying to speed up the process after the hostages released on Saturday appeared extremely weakened. The freed hostages claimed they had been subjected to torture, starvation, and inhumane conditions during captivity.
A senior Arab diplomat said that Hamas was not expected to release any more hostages than planned on Saturday or in the following days, adding: “After Hamas said it would not release any hostages, we persuaded it to release three hostages on Saturday. It would be too optimistic to expect more than that.”
The ceasefire was jeopardized on Monday when Hamas accused Israel of blocking the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and announced on Saturday that it would not release the hostages. However, Israel later sent a message saying that the agreement would continue if Hamas released the three hostages.
Government spokesman David Mencer announced that Hamas must release the three live hostages on Saturday.
The uncertainty over the future of the ceasefire led thousands of protesters to take to the streets in Israel. Protesters called on the government to honor the agreement and bring the hostages home.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israel was not negotiating the second phase of the hostage deal. However, mediators have called on Israel to begin negotiations on the next phase.
