Hamas said Thursday it would release three more Israeli hostages as planned, paving the way to resolving a dispute over the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The militant group had threatened to delay the next release after accusing Israel of failing to meet its obligations to allow in tents and shelters, among other alleged violations of the truce. Israel, with the support of President Trump, has said it will resume fighting if the hostages are not freed immediately. The announcement from Hamas should allow the ceasefire to continue for now, the AP reports, even after Israel said Thursday that a rocket had been launched from Gaza.
Still, doubts remain about the long-term durability of the truce. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was meeting Thursday with top military and security officials at the army's Southern Command headquarters near the Gaza border. Hamas said it held talks in Cairo with Egyptian officials and was in contact with Qatar's prime minister about bringing into Gaza more shelters, medical supplies, fuel, and heavy equipment for clearing rubble—its key demand in recent days. It said in a statement that the mediators had pledged to "remove all hurdles."
With the truce holding, the Israeli military said a rocket was fired from inside Gaza on Thursday in what appeared to be the first such incident since the agreement took effect, per the AP. The projectile landed within the territory, and the military said later that it had struck the rocket launcher that had fired it. Since the ceasefire began, Israeli fire has killed at least 92 Palestinians and wounded more than 800 others, said Munir al-Bursh, director general of the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israeli military says it has fired on people who approach its forces or enter certain areas in violation of the truce.
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