Russia on Saturday welcomed the release of Russian citizen Aleksandr Trufanov in the Gaza Strip. "We thank the Hamas administration for its decision," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

The ceasefire has largely held since it began on January 19, although there have been some incidents where Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces.

The Israeli prime minister says the military will "return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated" if the hostages are not freed.