'Progress' in push to rescue ceasefire, say Palestinian sources

Palestinian sources reported progress on Thursday in efforts to salvage the ceasefire in Gaza from its worst crisis yet, with a view to ensuring that Hamas releases Israeli hostages this weekend as planned.

The truce that has largely halted fighting in the Israel-Hamas war was plunged into uncertainty after the group said it would not release hostages on Saturday, citing Israeli violations.

Israel hit back, saying that if Hamas failed to free captives on schedule, it would resume its war in Gaza.

"There is progress," one source told AFP, adding that mediators had obtained from Israel a "promise... to put in place a humanitarian protocol starting from this morning".

"Hamas has confirmed to Egyptian officials its commitment... to conducting the sixth exchange of prisoners on time, on Saturday, as soon as Israel honours its commitment," another source said.

The first source said that once mediators confirm Israel's final approval, then "prefabricated units, tents, fuel, heavy equipment, medicine, materials for repairing hospitals and everything linked to the humanitarian protocol" can begin entering the territory.

The fragile ceasefire has been strained in recent days after US President Donald Trump warned that "hell" would break loose if Hamas failed to release all the hostages being held in Gaza by Saturday.

Following those remarks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military would resume "intense fighting" in Gaza if Hamas did not return hostages by Saturday noon, without specifying whether he was referring to all the captives.

Defence Minister Israel Katz warned on Wednesday that should the war resume, it "will be different in intensity", and "will not end without the defeat of Hamas".

Agence France-Presse