As the first phase of the hostage deal and final release of deceased hostages approaches completion, Hamas announced Thursday morning its "commitment to all agreement terms and readiness to begin negotiations on the second phase of the hostage deal."
In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed a negotiation team to travel to Cairo for talks Thursday evening. Israeli officials hope to secure the release of additional hostages as early as Saturday, though discussions have not yet commenced and the timeline remains uncertain. The delegation to Cairo includes Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Gal Hirsch, Netanyahu's political advisor Ophir Falk, and additional representatives from the IDF and Shin Bet security service.
Speaking to the Qatari channel Al Arabi on Thursday morning, Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua stated that the terrorist organization is prepared to either extend the first phase of the hostage agreement or merge both phases according to Hamas' self-defined red lines in negotiations with Israel. Al-Qanua further claimed that the first phase of the agreement has been fulfilled and that Hamas remained committed to all conditions "despite Israel's continuous delaying tactics."
Shortly after these statements, an Israeli security source responded firmly: "We will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor. We will not permit Hamas murderers to return with pickup trucks and rifles on our borders, and we will not allow them to rebuild their arsenal through smuggling operations."
