Palestinian sources close to negotiations on Thursday reported progress in efforts to salvage the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, to ensure that a hostage-prisoner exchange goes ahead this weekend as planned.

"There is progress," one source told AFP, adding that mediators had obtained from Israel a "promise... to put in place a humanitarian protocol starting from this morning." "Hamas has confirmed to Egyptian officials its commitment... to conducting the sixth exchange of prisoners on time, on Saturday, as soon as Israel honors its commitment," another source said.