CAIRO/DUBAI (Reuters) – Hamas does not want the Gaza ceasefire agreement to collapse, the Palestinian militant group said on Thursday, ahead of a Saturday deadline for it to release more Israeli hostages.
Hamas agreed under the deal to free three more hostages on Saturday but said this week that it was suspending the handover over what it said were Israeli violations of the terms.
U.S. President Donald Trump responded by saying all hostages must be freed by noon on Saturday or he would “let hell break out”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would resume “intense fighting” if Hamas did not meet the deadline.
“We are not interested in the collapse of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, and we are keen on its implementation and ensuring that the occupation (Israel) adheres to it fully,” Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said.
“The language of threats and intimidation used by Trump and Netanyahu does not serve the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” Qanoua said.
A Hamas delegation led by the group’s Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, met Egyptian security officials on Wednesday to try to break the impasse. A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters that mediators Egypt and Qatar were trying to find solutions to prevent a slide back into fighting.
In a statement, Hamas said the mediators were exerting pressure for the ceasefire deal to be fully implemented, ensure Israel abides by a humanitarian protocol and resume exchanges of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel on Saturday.
Israel has called up military reservists to brace for a possible re-eruption of war in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to free further Israeli hostages.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Clauda Tanios, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Gareth Jones)
