Hamas affirmed its commitment to honouring the truce with Israel on Thursday, despite facing challenges. Mediators are actively working to ensure the release of hostages this weekend, as initially planned. Palestinian sources indicate progress in salvaging the ceasefire, which faced uncertainty after Hamas cited Israeli violations as a reason for potentially delaying the hostage release.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged Hamas to proceed with the planned release and to avoid a resumption of hostilities in Gaza. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has also called on all parties to maintain the truce, emphasizing that hundreds of thousands of lives depend on it, including the remaining hostages and Gazans in need of humanitarian aid.