Hamas to resume hostage swap with Israel after short delay

GAZA CITY, Palestine

After a short delay in hostage swap, the Palestinian group Hamas said on Saturday it will resume releasing Israeli hostages thanks to Egyptian and Qatari mediation.

Hamas said that Egypt and Qatar conveyed Israel’s commitment to all the conditions of the deal.

For his part, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on the social media platform X that the hostage swap will continue tonight.

“After a delay in implementing the release of prisoners from both sides, the obstacles were overcome through Qatari-Egyptian communications with both sides,” he said.

The spokesman added that “tonight 39 Palestinian civilians will be released in exchange for the release of 13 Israeli captives from Gaza in addition to seven foreigners outside the framework of the agreement.”

Earlier on Saturday, Hamas' armed wing announced delay in release of the second group of Israeli hostages, citing Tel Aviv's "non-compliance" with the deal regarding aid delivery to Gaza.

"We decided to delay the release of the second batch of prisoners until the occupation adheres to the terms of the agreement related to the entry of relief trucks into the northern Gaza Strip," Al-Qassam Brigades said on Telegram.

The delay, it said, was due to "non-compliance with the agreed-upon prisoner release standards."

Notably, Al-Aqsa TV, affiliated with Hamas, said earlier on Saturday that the Al-Qassam Brigades had begun handing over the second batch of Israeli prisoners to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis city, the southern Gaza Strip.

Commenting on the delay, Hamas leading member Osama Hamdan told reporters that Israel "did not commit to implementing the full provisions of the pause agreement, whether in terms of security violations, the number of relief trucks supposed to arrive in northern Gaza Strip, or tampering with the criteria for releasing prisoners."

Hamdan reiterated the Hamas' "categorical rejection of all positions that call for the participation of foreign forces under any name in the administration of the Gaza Strip."

Israel and Hamas swapped 24 Israelis and foreigners for 39 Palestinians from Israeli jails on Friday, the first day of the four-day humanitarian pause.

Under the agreement between the warring sides, the hostages and prisoners will be released in batches over the course of four days.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat