This announcement comes in a climate of persistent tensions between Israel and Hamas that accuse each other not to respect the conditions of the ceasefire.
Hamas said Thursday that it would release three Israeli hostages as planned for this Saturday, thus opening the way to the resolution of a major dispute which risked jeopardizing the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
A liberation threatened with being delayed
The Palestinian movement had threatened to delay the liberation of captives, accusing Israel of not respecting its commitments, in particular as to the delivery of tents and shelters. For his part, Israel, with the support of American president Donald Trump, had threatened to resume hostilities if the hostages were not released.
Hamas said has been maintained with Egyptian officials in Cairo and in contact with the Prime Minister of Qatar about the routing of shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment to clear the rubble – a key requirement for the organization in recent days. The mediators would have promised to “Delete all obstacles”.
Shortly after this announcement, Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif Al-Qanou, confirmed that the three hostages would be released on Saturday.
Images broadcast by the Egyptian media show trucks carrying temporary housing and bulldozers on the Egyptian side from the Rafah crossing point, on the way to an Israeli inspection area before entering Gaza.
A fragile truce under the threat of new violence
While the hostilities between Israel and Hamas have decreased since the start of the ceasefire, calm seems however fragile.
A first arugula shot from the Gaza Strip was observed Thursday at the end of the day by TSAhal. The Israeli army has confirmed that the projectile fell inside Israeli territory, without specifying its exact provenance. Neither Hamas nor Islamic jihad have so far reacted to these accusations.
The situation in occupied West Bank remains explosive. On Thursday, the Israeli army opened fire on a Palestinian who, according to her, behaved suspiciously near a military base. The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health has announced the death of Issa Jabali, 28. No additional details have been given.
In addition, in the Nur Shams refugee camp, north of the occupied West Bank, two women, including an eight -month enclosure, were killed this week.
Donald Trump offers to move the Palestinians
The first phase of the ceasefire must end at the beginning of March, and no substantial negotiation has yet taken place for the second, which provides for the release of dozens of other hostages in exchange for the end of the war.
Donald Trump’s proposal to move around two million Palestinians outside Gaza and reinstall them in other countries still complicates the future of the ceasefire. The American president also called on the Israelis to support “A real hell” in Hamas If the hostages are not all released on Saturday, and suggested transforming the enclave into “Riviera du Middle East”.
This plan was welcomed favorably by Israel but firmly rejected by the Palestinians and the Arab countries, who refuse any influx of refugees. Human rights organizations believe that such a deportation could constitute a war crime according to international law.
The Trump administration has already raised restrictions on weapons transfers and provides for the sale of seven billion dollars in military equipment in Israel, approved under the Biden administration.
Political pressures for a resumption of war
The far -right allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu already call for the resumption of war after the first phase, with the aim of destroying Hamas and implementing Trump’s plan.
The Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Wednesday that “The doors of hell will open on on Hamas” If the Islamist group ceased to release hostages. He also said that a “New war in Gaza” would only end with the destruction of Hamas, thus allowing the implementation of Trump’s movement plan.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Israeli Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, a key ally of Netanyahu, pleads for the resumption of war, the “Voluntary migration” Many Palestinians and the resettlement of Jewish colonies in Gaza.
