An Israeli source on Thursday said that Israel is expecting additional hostages to be released on Saturday, in exchange for an extension of the ceasefire in Gaza. On Wednesday night, Hamas released the remains of four hostages, marking the end of the ceasefire deal's first stage. A total of 59 hostages are still in Gaza, of whom approximately 35 have been declared dead. Related articles: 'He has a name, bring him home' Hamas video appears on basketball league website 'I'd like to get as many hostages as we can' Qatar comments on affair, makes no mention of PM's staff Earlier on Thursday, the Hamas terror group responded to a statement by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz that the terror group had planned to attack Jewish towns during the period of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. In their response, Hamas denied the accusations, claiming, "We did not plan to Israeli soldiers and towns during the ceasefire." Rejecting Katz's statement, the terror group claimed: "The statements regarding preservation of the border area between Gaza and Egypt as a buffer zone is a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, and an attempt to disrupt it and thwart it." "We stress our full commitment to the ceasefire agreement and all its sections, and our willingness to continue negotiations for the second stage in the agreement." On Wednesday , Kan News reported that Israel is in discussions with the United States to extend the ceasefire for another few weeks so more hostages are released. According to the report, hostages will continue to be released in exchange for Israel examining the possibility of withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor and the release of additional terrorists from Israeli prison. The mediators are working so that the extension lasts the entire month of Ramadan. An Israeli official stated that section 14 of the agreement allows for the extension of the ceasefire and Israel is prepared to continue discussing these issues, but would not agree for the negotiations to take place without compensation, that is, without the release of more hostages.
