Hamas Willing To Continue Ceasefire In Gaza Strip

The hostages Hamas released upon arrival back in Israel. (Twitter/@IDF)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group, Hamas signaled on Thursday that a crisis that threatened to destabilize a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip could be avoided, after accusing each other of violating the deal with Israel.

The 42-day ceasefire, which took effect from January 19, has almost failed, since Hamas on Monday unexpectedly announced it would delay releasing hostages, prompting Israel to respond with threats to return to war.

Hamas said he did not want the deal to fail, although rejecting what he called a "language of threats and intimidation" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. Both said the ceasefire should be canceled if the hostages are not released.

"Therefore, Hamas reiterated its commitment to implementing the agreement as signed, including the exchange of prisoners in accordance with the specified period," Hamas said in a statement.

Hamas, whose main leader in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, is visiting Cairo to negotiate with Egyptian security officials, also said Egyptian and Qatar mediators will continue to strive "to remove obstacles and close gaps".

Separately, Israeli Government spokesman David Mencer later told reporters the three hostages had to be released alive by Hamas on Saturday so the ceasefire could continue.

Earlier this week, Hamas accused Israel of failing to respect the provisions calling for a major increase in aid deliveries, delaying the handover of the three hostages who were originally released on Saturday until the matter was resolved.

On the other hand, Israel also accused Hamas of violating the agreement, including on Thursday evening, when the military said Hamas had fired rockets from Gaza that landed in the enclave.

The military then attacked the launcher, he said.

A source at the Hamas-led police said the rocket was an unexploded Israeli armament that had lit up and shot into the air when it was moved from residential areas.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.

Doubts about this week's ceasefire deal escalated with hostile reactions in the Arab world to United States President Donald Trump's comments that Palestinians should be permanently removed from Gaza in order to be developed as a seafront property under US control.

By ceasefire, Hamas has so far released 16 Israeli hostages from the initial group of 33 children, women and old men who agreed to exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in the first phase of a multi-phase deal.

Hamas also released five Thai hostages in an unscheduled release.

Negotiations in the second phase of the agreement, which the mediators hope will approve the release of the remaining hostages as well as the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, should have taken place in Doha but the Israeli team returned to its country on Monday, two days after arrival.

The war in Gaza erupted after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed at least 1,200 people, according to Israeli tally, and caused more than 250 people to be held hostage.

This sparked an unrelenting Israeli response that had destroyed the coastal enclave, which left 48,239 Palestinians dead and 111,676 injured, where the majority of the victims were children and women according to Gaza's medical sources, quoted from WAFA.