Humanitarian aid continues amid Gaza tensions
Egypt has seen the continuation of humanitarian aid entering into the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of injured Palestinians despite Hamas's announcement to postpone the release of Israeli hostages due to alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement by Israel.
So far, more than 5,000 trucks have delivered aid from Egypt, while at least 500 Palestinians have managed to get to Egypt, including 350 injured Palestinians who have received treatment in hospitals in Egypt's North Sinai Governorate.
Egypt and Qatar, the two main mediators, have been intensifying talks to ensure that the ceasefire succeeds. Initially, talks for the second phase of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel were the main concern, but after repeated calls by U.S. President Donald Trump to evacuate all of Gaza's residents and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements that he wants Hamas to cease to exist, the mediators now fear that phase one of the ceasefire may collapse.
The mediators announced that talks for the second phase were suspended, and their focus has been to push the first phase to succeed in reaching its target six weeks after Hamas announced it would freeze the release of hostages, citing Israeli violations to the agreement. According to Hamas, the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza was delayed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ceasefire in Gaza would end if Hamas did not return hostages held in the enclave.
"The military will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated," he said in a video statement.
In his statement, Netanyahu also said that he concluded an in-depth long discussion with the political-security cabinet, and that everyone there welcomed the U.S president Trump's "Revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza."
It also blamed Israel for obstructing the entrance of some aid supplies, including tents, sheltering units and essentials for hospitals. Nevertheless, Egyptian officials remain steadfast in carrying out the terms of the ceasefire.
