Three more Israelis held captive in the Gaza Strip are on the verge of being freed by Hamas-led militants as part of a shaky ceasefire deal that requires Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian pris

The militant group had originally said it would stop freeing captives, leading Israel to threaten to return to war Hamas signalled on Thursday that a crisis threatening to unravel an already fragile ceasefire in Gaza could be avoided even after trading accusations with Israel this week of ceasefire breaches.