GAZA: Israel has agreed to release Palestinian prisoners who were due to be freed last week in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages, Egyptian state-linked media reported.
The US top envoy for Middle East has revealed that dialogue for a second phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal remained on track.
Palestinian group Hamas late Tuesday confirmed the release agreement, negotiated under Egyptian supervision.
In Washington, US President Donald Trump’s point person on the Middle East said Israeli representatives were already en route to talks on the next phase of the ceasefire deal.
“We’re making a lot of progress. Israel is sending a team right now as we speak,” Steve Witkoff told an event for the American Jewish Committee.
“It’s either going to be in Doha or in Cairo, where negotiations will begin again with the Egyptians and the Qataris,” he said.
This first phase is supposed to end on Saturday, but negotiations planned for the rest of the process – which were to begin in early February – have not started.
Hamas has said it is ready to release “in one go” all the hostages remaining during the second phase.
On Sunday, the group accused Israel of endangering the Gaza truce by delaying the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel justified the delay by citing concerns over how the hostages have been freed, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing the process as “humiliating ceremonies”.
Since the ceasefire took effect on January 19, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in public ceremonies across Gaza, where masked, armed fighters have escorted the captives onto stages decorated with slogans.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has urged all parties to carry out prisoner and hostage swaps “in a dignified and private manner”.
Given the nature of the deep-rooted Israeli-Palestinian conflict, prisoner releases from Israeli jails are highly controversial.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, but it has so far held.
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