Hamas announced today that it “will not accept” “threats” from Israel and the US over the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as it appears to be hanging by a thread.

“Our position is clear. We will not accept the tone of the American and Israeli threats,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem said in a statement, noting: “Israel must commit to implementing the terms of the ceasefire agreement so that (the hostages) can be released.”

For its part, the armed wing of the other Palestinian organization in the Gaza Strip, Islamic Jihad, which has also been holding Israeli hostages since the October 7, 2023 attack, said today that the fate of those hostages depended on the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The only way to get hostages back and stability to return is through an exchange agreement,” an Islamic Jihad spokesman said in a Telegram post.

Faced with the risk of the collapse of the deal and the resumption of Israeli military operations, mediators from Egypt and Qatar are currently making efforts to “save” the deal, Egyptian news network al Qahera reported, citing an Egyptian source.

A Hamas delegation arrived in Kairo for talks on the truce, with an official from the Palestinian Islamist movement saying the delegation would try to “end the crisis” over the truce.

“A delegation led by Khalil al-Haya, head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, arrived in Cairo and began talks with Egyptian officials to follow up on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” the movement said in a statement.

A Hamas official told Agence France-Presse that the delegation “will discuss ways to end the current crisis and ensure (Israel’s) commitment to the implementation of the agreement.”

Hamas spokesman, Hashem Qassem confirmed the talks with mediators. “We were assured by the mediators that efforts are being made to pressure (Israel) to respect the terms of the ceasefire,” he said.

A foreign diplomat with knowledge of the negotiations told Agence France-Presse, on condition of anonymity, that Egyptian and Qatar mediators “are in contact with Israel and Hamas to try to resolve the issues and ensure that both sides respect the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages.”