Hamas said Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire will delay the release of more Israeli prisoners of war on Saturday “until further notice.”
Abu Obida, a spokesman for the Kassam Brigade, Hamas’ armed wing, said in a statement issued Monday that the prisoners “have been placed in place until the occupying groups comply with their past obligations and retroactively compensated. I’ll stay.”
The announcement raised fear that a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel would not be held.
Israel responded by denounced the “breach” of the ceasefire contract and “watching” the troops. US President Donald Trump has proposed that the agreement should be taken unless all Israeli prisoners are released by the weekend.
Israel and Hamas are in the middle of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas was photographed in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Freeing prisoners.
However, Abu Obeida said Israel had violated several parts of the ceasefire, which had been mediated between the two for months.
“For the past three weeks, resistance leadership has monitored enemy violations and violations of terms of contract,” he said.
“These violations include delaying the return of evacuees to shelters in various parts of the Gaza Strip, targeting them with artillery and fire in various parts of the Gaza Strip, and invading all agreed forms of relief material. This includes not allowing the company to do so, while resistance fulfilled all its duties.”
A Qassam Brigades spokesman reaffirmed the group’s “commitment to the terms of the contract, as long as the profession follows them.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz responded quickly to Hamas’ moves and said the decision was “a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
“I have instructed (the military) to prepare for possible scenarios in Gaza with the highest level alert,” Katz said.
Both sides have conducted five swaps since the ceasefire took effect last month and have released 21 Israelis and more than 730 Palestinians.
The next exchange is scheduled for Saturday, releasing three Israeli prisoners in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Several Palestinian civilians were shot dead by Israeli forces when they returned to their homes.
Meanwhile, the number of injured Palestinian patients evacuated from the strip and the humanitarian trucks entering Gaza are fewer than promised in the ceasefire agreement.
The Qassam Brigade announcement comes in light of the latest statement by Trump, expressing concerns about the sustainability of the ceasefire agreement.
Trump repeatedly called for Gaza to ethnically cleanse the US, saying it would take “ownership” of its territory.
Trump responded to Hamas’ announcement, saying that if all Israeli prisoners have not been released by Saturday, the ceasefire contract should be cancelled.
Under the ceasefire agreement, prisoners are set to be released in phases.
Speaking during a broad session with reporters, Trump said: happen. “
The US President noted that he has expressed his personal opinion and that Israel must decide for himself what it is doing now.
The first phase of the transaction will expire on March 1st. The second phase, which will see all prisoners and permanent ceasefire releases, has not been finalized. The third part of the contract is to guide a multi-year plan to restructure the territory.
Palestinian activist and politician Mustafa Barguti has in three ways: Israel blocks temporary housing and humanitarian aid, shoots and kills Gaza people, and supports Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza. He said he was violating the agreement.
“More than that, Netanyahu threatens to return to war and he declares that he will never stop the war,” Barguti told Al Jazeera.
“So what do they want? To get back all Israeli prisoners and then continue the Gaza genocide? This is exactly the message the Palestinians were getting.”
Netanyahu reiterated last week that he was committed to fulfilling the war purpose, including destroying Hamas’ army and governing capabilities.
Before Abu Obeida’s statement on Monday, Hamas senior Bassem Naim told Al Jazeera that Israel has not fulfilled its obligations under the contract.
“In the last three weeks since we signed the contract, we have been involved in very serious consultations and negotiations with Mediators, Egyptians, Catalis and the United States regarding Israeli violations, daily violations of the transaction. I’m doing it,” Naim said.
He noted that after the ceasefire was implemented, 25 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, and dozens of wounded.
