Israeli and Hamas officials on Tuesday announced that they have , reported AP.

Israel has delayed freeing 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday, citing the harsh treatment of hostages by Hamas during their release in three instances since January 19.

The exchanges are part of the first phase of an ongoing ceasefire agreement announced in January by Qatar. Doha was the key mediator in the negotiations. The first phase involves the exchange of 33 hostages for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

Hamas called Israel’s delay in releasing the 600 Palestinians a “serious violation” of the ceasefire and said that talks for a second phase could not proceed until the prisoners are freed. The militant group took more than 200 hostages in an attack on southern Israel in October 2023.

The deadlock threatened the collapse of the fragile ceasefire, with the first six-week phase of the deal set to expire this weekend.

On Tuesday, Hamas announced that the dispute had been resolved after a delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, a senior political official in the group, visited Cairo in Egypt for talks.

According to a Hamas statement, the prisoners previously scheduled for release “will be released simultaneously with the bodies of the...