A Hamas spokesperson said on Monday that it would delay the next planned round of hostage releases until further notice because of what it called ‘violations by Israel’ of the cease-fire agreement. Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said in a statement: “Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy’s violations and failure to fulfill its obligations under the agreement; including the delay in allowing the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with direct shelling and gunfire in various areas across Gaza, and denying relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed. Meanwhile, the resistance has fully honored its commitments … Therefore, the release of the Zionist prisoners next Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and provides compensation for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively. We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement, as long as the occupation remains committed to them” (per BBC News).
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday: “Hamas’ announcement to stop the release of Israeli hostages is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and the hostage release deal. I have instructed the [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF to maintain the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to fortify the defense of Israeli communities. We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7.”
To date, 16 of the 33 hostages set to be released in the first 42 days of the deal have been sent home with Israel releasing hundreds of prisoners and detainees in return.
Editorial credit: BERK CAN / Shutterstock.com
