‘We’re working hard with mediators to get the deal back on track,’ senior Israeli official tells news site; report says talks between Egypt and Hamas ‘headed toward a breakthrough’
By Lazar Berman – TIMESOFISRAEL.COM
Israel has reportedly sent a message to Hamas through mediators Egypt and Qatar that the hostage release-ceasefire deal will continue if the terror group releases three more hostages on Saturday.
The message, which was first reported Wednesday by the Walla news site, came a day after Israel put out a series of conflicting statements, including by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which said Hamas must release “our hostages,” “9 hostages,” and “all of them” for the ceasefire to continue.
On Tuesday, the premier declared that “if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end,” and that the security cabinet “welcomed [US President Donald] Trump’s demand for the release of our hostages.”
outside the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, February 12, 2025. ( Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Israel has reportedly sent a message to Hamas through mediators Egypt and Qatar that the hostage release-ceasefire deal will continue if the terror group releases three more hostages on Saturday.
The message, which was first reported Wednesday by the Walla news site, came a day after Israel put out a series of conflicting statements, including by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which said Hamas must release “our hostages,” “9 hostages,” and “all of them” for the ceasefire to continue.
On Tuesday, the premier declared that “if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end,” and that the security cabinet “welcomed [US President Donald] Trump’s demand for the release of our hostages.
A day earlier, Trump called for all hostages to be released by the terror group by Saturday, but Netanyahu’s statement, along with the statements from various Israeli officials, did not explicitly call for all hostages to be released.
“We are working hard with the mediators to get the deal back on track,” a senior Israeli official told Walla, while adding that as of Wednesday the agreement appeared less at risk of collapse than the day before.