Militant group Hamas says the fragile Gaza ceasefire is back on track and it will release Israeli hostages as planned this weekend.
Earlier this week, Hamas announced it would pause scheduled hostage handovers in protest of what it described as repeated breaches of the ceasefire by Israel.
Among the allegations levelled at Israel was that it was not allowing enough aid deliveries into Gaza, particularly urgently needed shelter such as tents and caravans.
Negotiations in Doha and Cairo in recent days appeared to have delivered a breakthrough, and caravans and heavy equipment have been lined up at the Egypt-Gaza border waiting for clearance to enter the war-ravaged territory.
"The talks were characterised by a positive spirit, and the mediating brothers in Egypt and Qatar confirmed that they would follow up on all of this to remove obstacles and close gaps," Hamas said in a statement published on Telegram.
"Accordingly, Hamas confirms its continued position to implement the agreement in accordance with what was signed, including the exchange of prisoners according to the specified timetable."
Hamas has been releasing at least three hostages weekly, and the next handover is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
"Three live hostages must be released by Hamas terrorists on Saturday," Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said.
"Now, if Hamas do not adhere to the agreement, indeed if they violate this agreement and do not release our hostages, the government has made clear that it has instructed our armed forces and we have already amassed forces inside and surrounding Gaza.
"So, if those three are not released, if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end."
The hostage handover will also trigger the release of more Palestinian prisoners and detainees from jail, with Israeli authorities coming under significant criticism for the poor health of some Palestinians being freed.
Israel had previously denied Hamas's claims about ceasefire breaches, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said fighting would resume if Hamas did not release hostages before midday on Saturday.
Mr Netanyahu's comments followed a threat from US President Donald Trump.
"If all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday 12 o'clock — I think it's an appropriate time — I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out," he said.
There had been debate as to whether Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu were demanding the release of all of the dozens of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas by that Saturday deadline, or whether their threats only referred to the scheduled release of at least three hostages.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is also facing conflicting domestic pressures on the issue.
In the days since Hamas and Israel threatened the stability of the ceasefire, families of hostages had taken to the streets of Israel’s largest city, Tel Aviv, urging the Netanyahu government to avoid a return to fighting in Gaza.
They argued Israeli strikes in Gaza would put the lives of their loved ones at grave risk — a sentiment which appears to be shared widely throughout the Israeli community.
However, members of Mr Netanyahu's coalition government, including far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, have been agitating for the conflict to resume.
