Hamas Promises to Release the Three Hostages as Planned
Hamas gunmen stand in front of a stage before they hand over three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on February 8, 2025. (BASHAR TALEB / AFP) Hamas on Thursday signaled that a crisis threatening to unravel the Gaza truce deal could be avoided, despite uncertainty over the number of hostages due to be released by the terror group on Saturday and conflicting reports over aid supplies entering the Strip. Hamas said it was committed to implementing the deal, “including the exchange of prisoners according to the specified timeline,” but did not specify how many hostages would go free on Saturday, when three are scheduled to be released. President Donald Trump has demanded that “all” hostages be released by noon on Saturday. Egypt’s state-aligned Extra News reported that Cairo and Doha had successfully “overcome obstacles,” citing an official source as saying that Israel and Hamas were now committed to implementing the deal. The terror group said that medi...