A Palestinian official familiar with the diplomacy said resistance movement Hamas would continue with the four-day truce agreed with Israel, the first break in fighting in seven weeks of war.
Hamas thanks Qatar, Egypt
for helping maintain ceasefire
Palestinian Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced Saturday its appreciation for Qatari- and Egyptian-led efforts at ensuring the continuation of a temporary truce agreement between the group and Israel that began on Friday. Hamas said in a statement that the Egyptian and Qatari parties had confirmed Israel's commitment to all the terms and conditions of the agreement. Earlier yesterday, Hamas had decided to delay a second round of hostage release as part of the truce deal until Israel committed to letting aid trucks enter northern Gaza. (Reuters)
Eight children and five women would be released by Hamas as well as the seven foreigners, he said.
The armed wing of Hamas had earlier said it was delaying Saturday's scheduled second round of hostage releases until Israel met all truce conditions, including committing to let aid trucks into northern Gaza.
Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan said only 65 of 340 aid trucks that had entered Gaza since Friday had reached northern Gaza, which was "less than half of what Israel agreed on."
Al-Qassam Brigades also said Israel had failed to respect the terms of the Palestinian prisoner releases. Qadura Fares, the Palestinian commissioner for prisoners, said Israel had not released detainees by seniority, as was expected.
Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, a member of Israel's security cabinet, told Channel 13 News that Israel was "abiding by the deal" with Hamas that Qatar had mediated.
Israel has said 50 trucks with food, water, shelter equipment and medical supplies had deployed to northern Gaza under UN supervision, the first significant aid delivery there since the start of the war.
The row over the truce dented hopes of a smooth second day of hostage and prisoner releases after 13 Israeli women and children were freed by Hamas on Friday. Some 39 Palestinian women and teenagers were released from Israeli jails.
Israeli army spokesperson Olivier Rafowicz told French television Israel was strictly honouring the terms of the truce, and said the military had carried out no attacks or offensive operations in Gaza yesterday.
A total of 50 hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners over four days under the truce.
To date, some 14,800 people, roughly 40% of them children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian health authorities said.
Before the delay to the latest hostage and prisoner exchange, Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing through which aid supplies have resumed into southern Gaza, said it had received "positive signals" from all parties over a possible truce extension.
Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt's State Information Service (SIS), said in a statement that Cairo was holding extensive talks with all parties to reach an agreement which would mean "the release of more detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails."
Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continues to release hostages at a rate of at least 10 per day. A Palestinian source has said up to 100 hostages could go free.
In Thailand, where authorities welcomed the release of 10 of its nationals under a separate deal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, a mother danced for joy when she saw her daughter Natthawaree Mulkan was among the hostages released by Hamas.
For Palestinians, however, joy at the release of prisoners from Israeli jails had a bitter tinge to it. Israeli police were seen raiding the home of Sawsan Bkeer on Friday shortly before her daughter Marah, 24, was released. Israeli police declined to comment.
"There is no real joy, even this little joy we feel as we wait," said Sawsan Bkeer. "We are still afraid to feel happy," she said.
