A senior Hamas official told AFP on Friday that the group expects the United States to increase pressure on Israel to lift its aid blockade of Gaza following the recent release of a US-Israeli hostage.

Taher al-Nunu stated that Hamas is awaiting and expecting the US administration to urge the Netanyahu government to open border crossings and allow the immediate entry of humanitarian aid — including food, medicine, and fuel — to hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

He added that the entry of aid was part of an understanding reached with US envoys in exchange for the release of hostage Edan Alexander.

This development underscores ongoing diplomatic efforts to address the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza amid the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.