Israel expects the Palestinian radical movement Hamas to agree to release more hostages as part of the first phase of the Gaza truce and the hostage deal, the Jerusalem Post newspaper reported, citing two Israeli officials.
According to them, the issue of extending the current stage of the deal, which is scheduled to end on March 1, is being considered. The extension would include the release of four men, all fathers, and other seriously injured hostages in exchange for an extension of the ceasefire through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on Friday.
“Hamas wants the deal to continue at this stage“, officials said after a four-hour meeting on the evening of February 22. “It is in their interest, they want more aid convoys and construction equipment to enter Gaza and they do not want to be the party that leads to the breakdown of the deal“, sources told the publication.
On January 15, Israel and Hamas agreed to release hostages held in Gaza and implement a ceasefire in the enclave. The agreement includes three stages and came into effect on January 19. During the first phase of the deal, which is scheduled to last 42 days, Hamas is to release at least 33 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Since the start of the first phase, 29 Israeli and 5 Thai hostages have already been released.
On the night of February 23, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel had decided to postpone the planned release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners from prisons on February 22 until Hamas abandons the humiliating ceremonies that accompany the release of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.