The Israeli military prison, Ofer, near Ramallah, in the West Bank, where some Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released. /Ammar Awad/Reuters
Hamas said it was delaying Saturday's scheduled second round of hostage releases until Israel committed to allowing aid trucks to enter northern Gaza.
The entry of humanitarian aid to the north of the Gaza Strip and the selection criteria for the liberation of prisoners were the issues in question, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, said in a statement.
An Israeli official said the hostages had not yet been handed over to the Red Cross, while an Israeli source told AFP that it "had not violated the agreement."
Earlier an Israeli military spokesperson had told France's BFM television station that, barring last-minute changes, 13 Israeli hostages were expected to be freed. He said 39 Palestinian prisoners would be released in return.
Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, told the Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen TV channel that the suspension was due to violations of the truce committed by Israel "linked to aid (entering Gaza), in addition to shootings and the rising death toll ... Some of (these violations) happened yesterday, and repeated today," he said.
Aviv Asher, two, her sister Raz, four, and mum Doron arrive back in Israel on Friday following their release. /Israeli Prime Minister's Office/Reuters
Under the truce deal between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, a total of 50 hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners, some of them convicted on weapon charges and violent offences, over four days.
In the first exchange on Friday, 13 Israeli women and children – out of around 240 hostages captured by Hamas fighters on a killing spree in southern Israel on October 7 – were released. Twenty-four jailed Palestinian women and 15 teenagers were released from Israeli jails.
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Saturday's setback came just hours after Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing into southern Gaza through which vital aid supplies have resumed, said it had received "positive signals" from all parties over a possible extension of that deal.
Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt's State Information Service, said in a statement that Cairo was holding extensive talks with all parties to reach an agreement which would mean "the release of more detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails."
Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continues to release hostages at a rate of at least 10 per day. A Palestinian source has said up to 100 hostages could go free.
Israel and Hamas have said hostilities would resume as soon as the truce ends, although U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday there was a real chance of extending the truce.
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