The Hamas militant group on Friday said Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag would be released on Saturday as part of the ceasefire agreement, which calls for the release of 33 hostages held in Gaza as well as hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli detention.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli army’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon would extend beyond 60 days because the ceasefire agreement ha not been fully enforced by Lebanon.

The gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops would continue in coordination with the United States, the office said.

Israel claims that the Lebanese army had not moved into southern Lebanon quickly enough to monitor ceasefire compliance and prevent the return of the Hezbollah militia.

A ceasefire took effect between Israel and the pro-Iran Hezbollah movement on November 27.

That came after over a year of hostilities, including two months of all-out war that saw Israel send ground troops into Lebanon.

Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank have killed at least 12 Palestinians since Tuesday, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said.

He warned that the violence could threaten the newly agreed ceasefire in Gaza.

Hundreds of Jenin residents fled their homes as the military demolished houses on the third day of a major operation in the West Bank city on Thursday.

Israeli officials said the operation in Jenin was targeted against what the military called Iran-backed militant groups in the city’s refugee camp.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that an increasing amount of aid has reached the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire came into force on Sunday.

According to OCHA, on Thursday alone 653 trucks traveled to the Gaza Strip from Israel via two border crossings in the territory’s north and another in the south.

“The surge in supplies entering Gaza each day and the return of law and order has allowed aid organizations to significantly scale up the delivery of life-saving assistance and services,” according to the United Natiions.

rc/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)