Egypt Daily News – A Palestinian source said on Wednesday that Qatari and Egyptian mediators are “working intensively” to resolve the crisis surrounding the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, after Israel threatened to resume fighting if Hamas does not release the agreed-upon hostages by Saturday.
The source, who requested anonymity, stated that “the mediators are in contact with the American side and are working intensively to end the crisis, pressuring Israel to implement the humanitarian protocol of the ceasefire agreement and to begin negotiations for the second phase.”
The ceasefire has appeared to be under threat in recent days.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that his army would resume the war if Hamas does not release the hostages by Saturday. In a statement, he said: “If Hamas does not return our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end, and the army will resume intensive bombing until Hamas is decisively defeated.”
His threat echoed that of U.S. President Donald Trump, who vowed to open the gates of “hell” if Hamas does not release “all” Israeli hostages in its custody by Saturday.
This came after Hamas announced that it would not release the hostages until Israel stops “disrupting the agreement,” returns to its commitments, and allows the entry of humanitarian aid.
On Wednesday, Salama Marouf, head of the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza, stated that “more than 270 new crimes of violations and breaches committed by the occupation army have been recorded since the ceasefire came into effect.”
He added that the most prominent breaches include “shooting at civilians, killing 93, injuring dozens, and failing to adhere to the humanitarian protocol.”
A source close to Hamas, who requested anonymity, confirmed on Wednesday that “the situation remains difficult and is becoming increasingly complicated due to Israel’s continued obstruction. Israel’s failure to commit to starting negotiations for the second phase confirms the occupation’s insistence on disruption, aiming to sabotage the ceasefire agreement and resume aggression, as there is nothing to deter the occupation.”
After months of deadlock, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States successfully mediated a ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on January 19 of this year. The agreement included an initial phase lasting 16 days, after which indirect negotiations for the second phase were supposed to begin, but they have not yet started.
Hamas released 16 Israeli hostages in five exchange operations, while Israel released hundreds of Palestinian detainees. The sixth exchange was scheduled to take place on Saturday.
