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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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