Hamas announced it will proceed with releasing Israeli hostages as initially planned after what it called “positive” discussions with mediators in the wake of threats from President Donald Trump that “all hell” would “break out” if the group failed to deliver.
The group had briefly delayed the latest exchange, accusing Israel of violating the truce, but now says it remains committed to carrying out the deal as agreed.
“Hamas confirms its continued position to implement the deal according to what was signed, which includes exchanging prisoners according to the specified timetable,” the group said in a statement.
Mediators from Egypt and Qatar reportedly assured Hamas they would work to “remove obstacles and fill gaps” in the agreement.
The announcement comes just two days after Trump delivered a forceful ultimatum to Hamas.
Speaking while signing a series of executive orders on Tuesday, Trump declared that if Israeli hostages were not returned by noon on Saturday, “all bets were off” and “hell is going to break out.”
He added that while he was “speaking for myself,” Israel had the final say on whether to continue the ceasefire: “Israel can override it.”
Hamas had earlier justified its brief suspension of hostage releases by accusing Israel of violating key terms of the truce, including “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, and targeting them with shelling and gunfire.” The 15 February exchange was postponed, with Hamas insisting that Israel must first “compensate for the past weeks.”
So far, five prisoner swaps have taken place, resulting in 21 hostages being freed in exchange for more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. Saturday’s planned release, which Hamas claims will go ahead, is set to involve three more Israelis and hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
