Hamas has handed over 13 Israeli prisoners and four foreigners to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) after several hours of delay as the group claimed Israel had violated the terms of a ceasefire.

The standoff was resolved through mediation by Qatar and Egypt on Saturday second day the lull in the war in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel is now expected to release 39 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons.

Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said in a post on X that 13 Israelis and four foreigners had been handed over to the ICRC.

They were on their way to the Rafah border crossing between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt before traveling on to Israel.

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said 13 Israeli prisoners and four Thai nationals were at the ICRC on their way to the Kerem Shalom or Karam Abu Salem border crossing.

The convoy “returning to Israel” was heading through Egyptian territory, he said.

Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from East Jerusalem, said the Israeli military confirmed “a few moments ago” that Hamas had handed over the prisoners to the ICRC.

“They will then be handed over to the Israeli military. They will be taken to an air base in southern Israel for an initial examination and then flown to various hospitals in the Tel Aviv area for further medical and psychological evaluations,” she said.

Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan had previously said that aid deliveries approved by Israel did not meet the promised levels and did not reach the northern Gaza Strip, the target of the Israeli offensive.

Only 65 out of 340 Auxiliary truck That is “less than half of what Israel agreed on,” said Hamdan from Beirut.

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, had previously said Israel had not complied with the terms of the agreement Palestinian prisoner release.

Qadura Fares, the Palestinian envoy for prisoners, said Israel had not released prisoners based on seniority as expected.

Israel said 50 trucks carrying food, water, shelter and medical supplies had been sent to the northern Gaza Strip under United Nations supervision. This is the first significant delivery of aid there since the war began seven weeks ago.

The dispute over the second prisoner-for-detainee swap dashed hopes after 13 Israeli women and children were released by Hamas on Friday. Some 39 Palestinian women and youth were released from Israeli prisons.

Israel’s military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the government was committed to honoring the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, but there were many parties and factors involved. “And every day brings its complexities,” he added.

Hagari noted the remarkable progress in efforts to release the prisoners.

Still, at least two Palestinians were reportedly killed and 11 injured by the Israeli military as they attempted to travel to the northern Gaza Strip on Friday.

There were a large number of displaced people trying to return home via the Gaza Strip as the four-day ceasefire brokered by Qatar came into force on Friday. However, Israel has warned people not to enter the north of the war-torn enclave.

Ceasefire extension?

Ahead of the standoff in the latest hostage-prisoner exchange, Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing through which aid deliveries to southern Gaza have resumed, said it had received “positive signals” from all parties about a possible extension of the pause in the fighting.

Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS), said in a statement that Cairo was holding detailed discussions with all parties to reach an agreement that would mean “the release of more prisoners in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.”

Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continues to release at least 10 hostages a day. A Palestinian source said up to 100 hostages could be released.

As part of the ceasefire, 50 of around 240 hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners within four days. This is the first cessation of fighting since Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people.

Israel has promised to destroy Hamas, rain bombs and shells on the enclave and launch a ground offensive in the north. Israel’s relentless bombing has killed more than 14,800 people, about 40 percent of them children, Palestinian health authorities said Saturday.