The Palestinian radical movement Hamas has announced its readiness to immediately release all remaining Israeli hostages, the Qatari television channel Al Jazeera reported.
The Palestinian group published a statement this morning outlining its positions during the negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the channel noted.
“We are ready for the second phase, in which the prisoners will be exchanged all at once, after reaching an agreement that will lead to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip“, Al Jazeera quoted Hamas as saying.
The radicals announced the new initiative after US President Donald Trump spoke out against the gradual weekly release of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza. Their family members also called on Hamas to immediately release all hostages.
On January 15, it was announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement to release the hostages held in Gaza and to introduce a ceasefire in the enclave. The agreement, which includes three stages, came into effect on January 19. According to the agreement, the implementation of the first stage of the agreement will last 42 days, during which time Hamas must release at least 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. So far, 19 hostages have returned to Israel.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to travel to Riyadh on Thursday, where he is to discuss an Arab plan for Gaza that could include up to $20 billion from the region to rebuild the Palestinian enclave, the Jerusalem Post reported, quoted by BTA.
The Arab states are expected to discuss a post-war plan for Gaza that would counter U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to redevelop the strip under U.S. control and displace Palestinians, a prospect that has angered regional leaders.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are ready to review and discuss the Arab plan in Riyadh before it is presented at a scheduled Arab summit to be held in Cairo on March 4, four Arab leaders said. sources familiar with the matter.
A meeting of leaders of Arab states, including Jordan, Egypt, the UAE and Qatar, is expected in Saudi Arabia on Friday, although some sources say the date has not yet been confirmed, the "Jerusalem Post" reports.
The Arab states were alarmed by Trump's plan to "clear" Palestinians from Gaza and resettle most of them to Jordan and Egypt to create a "Middle Eastern Riviera". The idea was immediately rejected by Cairo and Amman and is seen in much of the region as deeply destabilizing.
The Arab proposal, based largely on an Egyptian plan, includes the creation of a Palestinian national committee to govern Gaza without Hamas, and international participation in reconstruction without Palestinians having to flee abroad.
The provision of $20 billion by Arab and Gulf states for the fund, an amount cited by two sources as a likely figure, could be a good incentive for Trump to accept the plan, said Emirati scholar Abdulhalek Abdullah.
Meanwhile, it has become clear that much of the water supply and sewage system in the Gaza Strip has been destroyed. This was reported by the international charity and humanitarian organization Oxfam.
According to its data, since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023, as a result of shelling and bombing by Israeli forces in various areas of the enclave, 1,675 km of water supply and sewage networks have been destroyed. “More than 80% of the water supply and sewage infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including all six main treatment plants, have been destroyed. 85% of sewage pumping stations and supply networks have also been destroyed“, Oxfam said, noting that in some areas most affected by the shelling, no more than 7% of the population has access to water.
The organization's statement noted that in the northern Palestinian enclave, Israeli troops have “destroyed almost all water wells”. The situation in the southern Gaza Strip, particularly in the city of Rafah, is no less dire. "More than 90% of the wells are partially or completely damaged, only 2 out of 35 wells are operational, and the daily water output does not exceed 5% of the norm," the organization stressed.