New push to salvage Israel-Hamas truce

New push to salvage Israel-Hamas truce

Women and children walk along a destroyed road in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip

Mediators Qatar and Egypt were pushing to salvage the Gaza ceasefire Wednesday, a Palestinian source told AFP, after Israel and the United States told Hamas to release hostages this weekend or face a return to war.

Under the terms of the truce, which has largely halted more than 15 months of fighting, captives were to be released in batches in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody.

So far, there have been five hostage-prisoner swaps, but the deal has come under strain, prompting diplomatic efforts to salvage it. Hamas said it was "committed to the ceasefire" after earlier saying it would postpone Saturday's scheduled release.

Last week's release sparked anger in Israel and beyond after Hamas paraded three emaciated hostages before a crowd and forced them to speak.

On the Palestinian side, Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet its commitments under the agreement, including on aid, and cited the deaths of three Gazans at the weekend.

"Mediators from Qatar and Egypt are in contact with the American side," the Palestinian source said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the Gaza ceasefire.

"They are working intensively to resolve the crisis and compel Israel to implement the humanitarian protocol in the ceasefire agreement and begin negotiations for the second phase."

UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged Hamas to proceed with the planned release and "avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza".

- 'Revolutionary' -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF (Israeli military) will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated".

His threat echoed US President Donald Trump, who said on Monday that "hell" would break loose if Hamas failed to release "all" Israeli hostages by Saturday.

Trump has proposed taking over Gaza and moving its more than two million residents to Jordan or Egypt -- a plan Netanyahu has called "revolutionary".

"If all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday 12 o'clock... I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out," Trump said.

He reaffirmed his deadline on Tuesday when hosting Jordan's King Abdullah II, who on social media "reiterated Jordan's steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians", adding it was "the unified Arab position".

Senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump's remark "further complicates matters", while the militant group praised Egypt and Jordan for "rejecting displacement" plans.

"Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties," he told AFP.

Adding to the tensions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said: "Israel can't allow Hamas to use the ceasefire to rebuild itself and recover strength. It's a ceasefire, but it's not a stupid ceasefire."

Rubio is set to begin his first trip to the Middle East later this week.

Egypt, a US ally which borders Gaza, said it plans to "present a comprehensive vision for the reconstruction" of the Palestinian territory which ensures residents remain on their land.

- 'Gates of hell' -

Trump's latest threat came hours after Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said it was postponing Saturday's hostage release.

But it said "the door remains open" for the release to go ahead "once the occupation complies".

Yemen's Huthi rebels, who are aligned with Hamas and have attacked Israel throughout the war in support of Palestinians, said they were "ready to launch a military intervention at any time in case of escalation against Gaza".

Netanyahu did not specify whether he was referring to all captives, but his Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on the premier to "open the gates of hell" if Israel doesn't get back "all the hostages... by Saturday".

The far-right politician demanded the "full occupation of the Gaza Strip" and an end to all humanitarian aid.

- 'Humanitarian catastrophe' -

The Israeli military said it has reinforced its troops, while hostage families rallied outside Netanyahu's office in support of the ceasefire.

"There is a deal. Go for it!" said Zahiro, whose uncle Avraham Munder died in captivity.

In Gaza, resident Adnan Qassem was praying "the ceasefire holds".

"The ruling faction in Israel wants war, and I believe there is also a faction within Hamas that wants war," said the 60-year-old from Deir el-Balah.

The Israeli military said it conducted an air strike on Wednesday in Gaza targeting two people attempting to retrieve a drone that had crossed into the Palestinian territory.

It has previously said it thwarted similar attempts to smuggle weapons using drones.

The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 73 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the war has killed at least 48,219 people in the territory, figures the UN considers reliable.

A UN report issued on Tuesday said that more than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the "humanitarian catastrophe" in the devastated territory.

burs-ser/dv

Originally published as New push to salvage Israel-Hamas truce