Hamas group said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with Israel on releasing Palestinian prisoners supposed to be freed on Saturday as a part of a ceasefire agreement.
In a statement, Hamas said its delegation, led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya, met with Egyptian officials to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement as well as preparations for the next phase of negotiations.
The group emphasized the need for full and precise adherence to all terms of the deal.
Hamas added that a solution has been reached ensuring that the release of Palestinian prisoners would occur simultaneously with the handover of Israeli remains, as previously agreed to under the first phase of the deal, along with additional Palestinian women and children detainees.
An Israeli official confirmed late Tuesday that an understanding had been reached with Hamas to resolve the delay in releasing Palestinian prisoners.
“The Egyptian mediation has succeeded…An agreement was reached to resolve the issue of the delayed release of Palestinian prisoners,” the unnamed official told Israel's Channel 13.
“If there are no last-minute changes, the remains of four Israeli hostages will be returned Wednesday night without a formal ceremony, and Palestinian prisoners will be released gradually from Israeli prisons,” the official added.
The first phase of the ceasefire deal in Gaza began on Jan. 19, spanning three stages, each lasting 42 days, with negotiations for the next phase required before the completion of the current one.
As part of this phase, which involves the release of 33 Israeli hostages—both living and deceased—Palestinian resistance factions have already freed 25 living captives and four deceased individuals in seven separate batches.
Israel has delayed the release of around 620 Palestinian prisoners, despite Hamas fulfilling its commitments under the agreement.
On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following a discussion with several ministers, decided against releasing the Palestinian prisoners, contradicting the recommendation of Israeli security officials.
Netanyahu's office claimed the decision was a response to Hamas violations, citing ceremonies held for six released prisoners last Saturday. Hamas dismissed the accusation as baseless, calling it a pretext to evade Israel’s commitments under the deal.
A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place in Gaza since last month, pausing the Israeli war, which has killed nearly 48,350 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Four migrants died after their boat sank off the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece's coastguard said on Tuesday after launching a search-and-rescue opera...
The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo XIV will visit Türkiye and Lebanon from November 27 to December 2, his first trip abroad since assuming the p...
French President Emmanuel Macron faced growing pressure on Tuesday to resign or hold a snap parliamentary election to end political chaos that has for...
Spanish Police say three people were injured in the partial collapse of a building in central Madrid on Tuesday adding that none of the injured was in...
President Ilham Aliyev welcomed the heads of state and government participating in the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organizatio...
Formally known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas was founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Israelis held a memorial ceremony in Kfar Aza near the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to commemorate those killed and taken hostages by Hamas on 7 October, 2023.
Delegations from Israel and Hamas held their first day of indirect negotiations in Egypt on Monday on U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to halt the war in Gaza, wrestling with contentious issues such as demands that Israel withdraw and Hamas disarm.
A delegation of Hamas officials, led by Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Egypt on Sunday to engage in indirect negotiations with Israeli representatives.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
President Ilham Aliyev welcomed the heads of state and government participating in the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States, held in Gabala on October 7.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, on 7 October in Gabala.
Kazakhstan’s oil exports to Germany are expected to grow in 2026 following an extension of the existing supply agreement, according to Askhat Khasenov, Chairman of the state energy company Kazmunaigaz.
Georgian prosecutors have charged five opposition figures with attempting to overthrow the government, following weekend protests that turned violent in the capital Tbilisi.
The Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani is currently in Russia to participate in the meeting of the Caspian Sea Naval Chiefs taking place in St Petersburg.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment