Hamas will delay the release of more Israeli captives scheduled for Saturday “until further notice”, due to Israeli ceasefire violations in Gaza, the Palestinian group a.
Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the Hamas armed wing – Qassam brigades, said in a statement on Monday that the captives “will remain in place until the occupying entity is in accordance with the obligations made and will compensate retroactively “.
Israel and Hamas are in the middle of a six-week ceasefire during which Hamas published dozens of captives taken during its October 7, 2023, an attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Abu Obeida said that Israel had violated several parts of the truce negotiated between the two parties.
“Over the past three weeks, resistance leadership has monitored enemy violations and their non-compliance with the terms of the agreement,” he said.
“These violations include the delay in the return of displaced people in the north of Gaza, targeting them with bombings and shots in various regions of the Gaza Strip, and do not allow the entry of emergency equipment in all forms as agreed. Meanwhile, resistance has fulfilled all of its obligations. »»
The spokesperson for Qassam Brigades reaffirmed “the group’s commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation adheres”.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz quickly responded to Hamas’ move, saying that the decision was “complete violation of the cease-fire agreement”.
“I asked (the army) to prepare for the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza,” said Katz.
The two parties made five exchanges since the truce entered into force last month, releasing 21 Israelis and more than 730 Palestinians.
The following exchange was scheduled for Saturday, releasing three Israeli captives in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Several Palestinian civilians were shot dead by Israeli forces when they returned home.
Meanwhile, the number of injured Palestinian patients who were evacuated outside the band, as well as the humanitarian aid trucks that entered Gaza, were less than what had been promised in the ceasefire fire.
The announcement of the Qassam brigades also comes in the light of the latest statements made by American President Donald Trump, who raised concerns about the sustainability of the ceasefire agreement.
Trump has repeatedly called for ethnically Gaza cleaning, saying that the United States would take the “property” of the territory.
The first step in the agreement expired on March 1. The second phase would see the release of all the captives and a permanent ceasefire, was not finalized. The third part of the agreement is supposed to inaugurate a multi -year plan to rebuild the territory.
Palestinian activist and politician Mustafa Barghouti said that Israel had violated the agreement in three ways: obstructing temporary housing and humanitarian aid, shooting people from Gaza and supporting Trump’s plan to ethnically clean Gaza.
“More than that, now Netanyahu threatens to return to war, and he declares that he will never stop war,” Barghouti told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“So what do they want to recover all Israeli prisoners and continue the massacres in Gaza?” This is exactly the message that the Palestinians received. »»
Netanyahu reiterated last week that he was determined to fulfill the objectives of the war, in particular by destroying the military and governing capacities of Hamas.
Before Abu Obeida’s statement on Monday, the senior Hamas, Naim, told Tel Aviv Tribune that Israel had not fulfilled his obligations under the agreement.
“In the past three weeks after having signed the agreement, we have been in talks and very serious negotiations with the mediators – the Egyptians, the Qataris and the United States – on the daily violations of the Israelis of the Agreement “Said Naim.
He noted that 25 Palestinians had been killed and that dozens injured by Israeli forces after the entry into force of the ceasefire.