Hamas says it will release another round of hostages on Saturday, as a ceasefire with Israel holds on for a third day and UN humanitarian agencies send aid to Gaza to help Palestinian civilians.
A Hamas official told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday that the next group of hostages will be four Israeli women, who will be freed in exchange for several Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
With the ceasefire set to go into effect on Tuesday, but with more than five weeks to go before the second phase begins, questions remain how quickly and successfully Israel and Hamas will negotiate the terms of the next phase.
US President Donald Trump, who took office on Monday after officials from his team and former President Joe Biden’s administration pressed him to achieve a ceasefire before the transition of power, expressed some doubts about the truth.
“I’m not convinced,” Trump told reporters Monday. “This is not our war. This is their war.”
Trump said his administration could help with reconstruction efforts in Gaza and compared the area to a massive demolition site.
Fifteen months of war have devastated the Gaza Strip, destroying many homes that Palestinians who fled to safety had hoped to return to once the fighting stopped.
The ceasefire also includes the return of three hostages held in Gaza so far, as well as 90 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 915 aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday.
The current conflict began in October. 7, 2023, when the US-designated terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking 250 hostage. Israel’s counter-offensive in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 people, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Some information in this report comes from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
