DUBAI (Reuters) – Egypt and Qatar are intensifying efforts to save the Gaza ceasefire deal, state-affiliated Egypt’s Al Qahera news TV reported on Wednesday, citing an Egyptian source.
The ceasefire has looked increasingly fragile since Hamas said this week it was postponing the release of any more Israeli hostages held in Gaza, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Palestinians that “hell will break loose” if Israeli hostages are not released on Saturday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will resume “intense fighting” if Hamas does not meet the deadline.
Egyptian sources told Reuters that Qatar and Egypt were in discussions with Hamas and Israel to prevent the cancellation of the ceasefire deal and to ensure its completion.
A Hamas delegation has arrived in Cairo to continue ceasefire talks, the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.
Egypt and Qatar alongside the United States brokered the deal that took effect on January 19 after more than a year of extensive diplomatic efforts.
Israel launched its offensive on Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen killed some 1,200 people and seized more than 250 as hostages in an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies.
The war has killed more than 48,000 of the nearly 2 million Palestinians who live there, Gaza authorities have said.
(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Jana Choukeir; Editing by Christina Fincher and Timothy Heritage)
