Egypt Daily News – A leader in the Hamas movement said today (Tuesday) that his movement will release 4 Israeli hostages, next Saturday, as part of the second batch of the Palestinian prisoners and detainee exchange deal within the framework of the ceasefire agreement between the movement and Israel, while the Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed that it is “Confident” of the truce agreement holding on.
Taher Al-Noono, an advisor to the head of the Hamas political bureau, told Agence France-Presse, “On the seventh day of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, that is, next Saturday, 4 female Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for the Israel’s release of the second batch of Palestinian prisoners” according to agreed upon standards.
The movement said in a statement yesterday (Monday) that it would release the next group of hostages on Saturday, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
In addition, the spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed Al-Ansari, said today (Tuesday) that Qatar is “confident” that the ceasefire in Gaza that entered into force on Sunday will continue to hold.
Al-Ansari said during a weekly press conference: “We are confident of the agreement when it comes to the wording of the agreement and when it comes to the fact that we discussed all the main issues on the table,” warning that “any violation by either side or political decision may lead to the collapse of the agreement,” according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
This comes after US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he was not confident that the ceasefire agreement in Gaza would hold, despite his boast before his inauguration of the role he played in reaching it.
When a journalist asked him upon his return to the White House whether the two parties to the conflict would adhere to the truce and move forward to sign a full agreement, Trump responded by saying: “I am not confident” about that. He added: “This is not our war, this is their war.” But I am not confident,” according to what was reported by “Agence France-Presse.”
However, the US President indicated his belief that Hamas has become “weaker” as a result of the war that broke out following its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. He said: “I saw a picture from Gaza. “Gaza is like a huge demolition site,” stressing that the Strip could witness a “wonderful” reconstruction process if the plan goes ahead.
The real estate mogul, who has become a populist politician, spoke of Gaza’s “unique location on the sea… its weather is wonderful, wonderful things can be done there.”
