Hamas said on Thursday that she was committed to honoring a ceasefire with Israel who has been under severe pressure in recent days, adding that she was planning to move to the next hostage prison this weekend as planned.
Palestinian sources reported progress in rescuing the ceasefire, which sank into crisis after Hamas warned that it would not release hostages on Saturday, citing Israeli violations.
Israel struck back, saying that if Hamas failed to release captives according to the timetable, it would repeat its war in Gaza.
“We are willing to apply it (ceasefire) and oblige possession to fully observe,” Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif Al-Qanou said, adding that the mediators were pressing for Israel “to continue the exchange process on Saturday” .
The team later stated in a statement that it pledged to carry out the next exchange “in accordance with the specified timetable”.
A Palestinian source said the mediators had gained from Israel “a promise … to put in place a humanitarian protocol starting in the morning”, which would allow construction equipment and temporary housing on the devastating territory.
Egyptian state media said heavy equipment and trucks carrying mobile houses were ready to enter Gaza from Egypt on Thursday, with AFP Pictures showing a series of bulldozers on the Egyptian side of the border.
However, Israel later stated that it would not be allowed to enter through the passage.
“There is no caravan entry (mobile houses) or heavy equipment in the Gaza Strip and there is no coordination for it,” writes Omer Dostri, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying “You are not allowed to enter the Gaza Strip through the Gaza Rafah ”.
Hamas previously accused Israel of holding the delivery of heavy machinery needed to clear the huge amount of ruins that reject the territory.
‘Power Games’
US President Donald Trump had warned earlier this week that “hell” would relax if the Palestinian team failed to release “all” hostages by noon on Saturday.
If the battles continue, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said: “The new Gaza war … will not end without Hamas’ defeat and the liberation of all hostages.”
“It will also allow US President Trump’s vision for Gaza,” he added.
Trump, whose return to the White House encouraged Israel’s far right, triggered a worldwide outcry with a proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and carry its 2.4 million inhabitants to Egypt or Jordan.
The Gaza truce, today in its first phase, has seen Israeli prisoners released in small groups in exchange for the Palestinians under Israeli.
The warring sides, which have not yet agreed in the next phases of the truce, have negotiated charges of violations, causing concern that violence could continue.
Last week’s hostage release sparked anger in Israel and beyond, after Hamas violated three weak hostages before a crowd and forced them to speak. In the meantime, Hamas accused Israel of not responding to help commitments under the agreement.
However, analyst Mairav Zonszein of the International Crisis Group of Crisis Group said, despite their public disputes, Israel and Hamas were still interested in maintaining the truce and have “resigned anything”.
“They just play power games,” he said AFP.
In Israel, dozens of hostage relatives in Gaza are blocking a highway near Tel Aviv’s commercial hub, waving banners and demanding the terms of the ceasefire, AFP said the photographer.
The International Commission of the Red Cross, which facilitated exchanges of hostage prisoners, urged the parties to maintain the truce.
“Hundreds of thousands of lives depend on it,” ICRC said.
Trump’s plan
Trump’s proposal for Gaza and the movement of more than two million inhabitants to Jordan or Egypt, according to experts, would violate international law, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as “revolutionary”.
Hamas called for worldwide “solidarity paths” during the weekend to denounce “plans to launch our Palestinian people from their land”.
Defense Minister Katz last week ordered the Israeli army to prepare for “voluntary” departures from Gaza. The army said he had already begun to reinforce his troops around Gaza.
Trump confirmed Saturday’s deadline for the release of hostages, while hosting the King of Jordan Abdullah II on Tuesday.
On a telephone call on Wednesday, Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-sisi said they were united in supporting the “complete application” of ceasefire and opposed to the displacement of the Palestinians.
Many Palestinians also expressed their opposition to the plan.
“Who is Trump? Is God Almighty? The land of Jordan is for the Jordanians and the land of Egypt belongs to the Egyptians, “said Gaza resident Abu Mohamed al-Husari.
“We are here, deeply rooted in Gaza – the durable, besieged and unbreakable gauze.”
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