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Hamas To Free 3 More Hostages 02/13 06:59

   Hamas said Thursday it would release three more Israeli hostages as planned, 
paving the way toward resolving a major dispute over the ceasefire in the Gaza 
Strip.

   CAIRO (AP) -- Hamas said Thursday it would release three more Israeli 
hostages as planned, paving the way toward resolving a major dispute over the 
ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

   Hamas had threatened to delay the next release of captives, accusing Israel 
of failing to meet its obligations to allow in tents and shelters, among other 
alleged violations of the truce. Israel, with the support of U.S. President 
Donald Trump, had threatened to renew its offensive if hostages were not freed.

   There was no immediate comment from Israel on Hamas' announcement, but it 
should allow the ceasefire to continue for now, though the future of the truce 
remains in doubt.

   Hamas said its delegation held talks in Cairo with Egyptian officials and 
was in contact with Qatar's prime minister about bringing into Gaza more 
shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble -- its 
key demand in recent days. It said in a statement that the mediators had 
pledged to "remove all hurdles."

   Shortly after the announcement, Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou 
confirmed to The Associated Press by phone that three hostages will be released 
on Saturday.

   Egypt's state-run Qahera TV, which is close to the country's security 
services, reported that Egypt and Qatar had succeeded in resolving the dispute. 
The two Arab countries have served as key mediators with Hamas and helped 
broker the ceasefire, which took effect in January, more than 15 months into 
the war.

   Egyptian media also aired footage showing trucks carrying temporary housing 
and bulldozers on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza. They 
reported that the trucks were heading to an Israeli inspection area before 
crossing into Gaza.

   Trump has introduced more uncertainty

   The truce faces a much bigger challenge in the coming weeks. The first phase 
is set to conclude at the beginning of March, and there have not yet been 
substantive negotiations over the second phase, in which Hamas would release 
dozens of remaining hostages in return for an end to the war.

   Trump's proposal to remove some 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and settle 
them in other countries has thrown the truce's future into further doubt. The 
plan has been welcomed by Israel but vehemently rejected by Palestinians and 
Arab countries, which have refused to accept any influx of refugees. Human 
rights groups say it could amount to a war crime under international law.

   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right allies are already 
calling for a resumption of the war after the first phase with the goal of 
implementing Trump's plan and annihilating Hamas, which remains in control of 
the territory after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive 
military campaigns in recent history.

   The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, 
killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. 
More than half have been released in deals with Hamas or other agreements, 
eight have been rescued and dozens of bodies have been recovered.

   The captives are among the only bargaining chips Hamas has left, and it may 
be difficult to get the group to commit to further releases if it believes the 
war will resume.

   Trump has given mixed signals about what he wants to see in Gaza.

   He took credit for brokering the ceasefire, which was reached days before he 
took office after more than a year of negotiations under the Biden 
administration. But he has also expressed misgivings about how the agreement is 
unfolding and says it's up to Israel whether to resume the war or not, while 
pledging continued U.S. military support.

   Seventy-three hostages have not yet been released, around half of whom are 
believed to be dead. Nearly all the remaining hostages are men, including 
Israeli soldiers.

   The war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, 
according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters. 
Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

   Israel's offensive has obliterated large parts of Gaza. At its height, the 
fighting had displaced 90% of the territory's population of 2.3 million. 
Hundreds of thousands have returned to their homes since the ceasefire took 
hold, though many have found only mounds of rubble and buried human remains and 
unexploded ordnance.

   A 'new war' would likely be far worse

   Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, echoing Trump, said Wednesday that 
"all hell will break loose" if Hamas stops releasing hostages. He said a "new 
Gaza war" wouldn't end until Hamas was defeated, which would allow for Trump's 
vision of mass displacement to be carried out.

   With far fewer hostages remaining in Gaza, Israel's military would have more 
freedom to act.

   It would also face far fewer constraints from the United States, its main 
military patron. The Biden administration, while providing crucial military and 
diplomatic support, had occasionally pressed Israel to allow in more aid and at 
one point suspended some weapons shipments. It had also said there should be no 
permanent displacement of Gaza's Palestinian population.

   Trump has lifted restrictions on arms transfers, and his administration is 
pressing ahead with the sale of $7 billion worth of weapons approved under 
President Joe Biden.

   Trump has said Gaza's population should be resettled elsewhere in the 
region, with wealthy Arab countries paying for it. He has suggested that once 
the fighting ends, Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the United States, 
which would then redevelop it as the "Riviera of the Middle East."

   Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key partner in Netanyahu's 
fragile governing coalition, has called for a resumption of the war, the 
"voluntary migration" of large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza and the 
reestablishment of Jewish settlements there.

 
 
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