The group said that mediators were working “to remove obstacles and close gaps” after the cease-fire deal with Israel hit a roadblock.
Hamas said on Thursday that it was still committed to upholding the cease-fire deal with Israel, including releasing more hostages this weekend, a sign of diplomatic progress amid widespread concern about the future of the precarious truce with Israel.
Mediators between the two sides were following up “to remove obstacles and close gaps” after “positive” talks with senior officials from Egypt and Qatar, Hamas said in a statement. Along with the United States, Egypt and Qatar have been brokering the cease-fire, which began with a six-week truce in late January.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on Hamas’s latest statement. Hamas has consistently said that resuming the hostage releases would depend on Israel’s upholding its end of the deal to the group’s satisfaction.
Basem Naim, a Hamas spokesman, said he believed that the releases would go ahead on Saturday but declined to clarify Hamas’s statement or to definitively confirm that plan.
In late January, both sides agreed to stop the devastating fighting in Gaza, with Hamas agreeing to release at least 33 hostages in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. But over the past few days, officials across the region expressed fear that the truce was at risk amid claims of cease-fire violations between the two sides.
Even if the current roadblock is surmounted, the future of the cease-fire is in question: Israel and Hamas have yet to agree on terms to extend the agreement after the initial six weeks.