***Update: Allah reports “Breaking: Pali PM says Centanni could be released “within hours”…Dan Riehl e-mails same…Fox News reports “[the case may be resolved in hours now via Fox News according to off-camera remarks from Prime Minister.” Stay tuned…***

The 72-hour deadline set by the “Holy Jihad Brigades” in the kidnapping case of Fox News crew Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig has passed. Headlines reporting that “Hamas expects ‘good news‘” on the journalists:

Palestinian officials said Saturday they expected to have “good news” about two kidnapped Fox News journalists within two days, despite an approaching deadline over their fate.

Cameraman Olaf Wiig of New Zealand and correspondent Steve Centanni of Washington were seized in Gaza City on Aug. 14. Their captors demanded the release of all Muslims imprisoned by the U.S. by midnight Saturday (5 p.m. EDT) in exchange for freeing the Fox journalists.

The kidnappers, from a previously unknown group, did not say what they would do to the journalists if the deadline passed without their demands being met.

On Friday, the Palestinian interior minister suggested some progress had been made in securing the hostages’ freedom. Ghazi Hamad, the government spokesman, added Saturday: “I hope that we can hear good news within the coming two days.”

Hamad did not give the basis for his assessment.

Keep the crew in your thoughts and prayers.