HAMAS said it will delay the release of more hostages after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas said it will delay the release of more Israeli hostages planned for Saturday until further notice, a spokesperson for the group said in a statement on Telegram.
Two days ago, the group freed three hostages from Gaza and Israel released 183 prisoners, which was the fifth exchange under the three-week year-old ceasefire deal.
Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades which is a listed terrorist organisation by the European Union, said: “During the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy’s violations and failure to abide by the terms of the agreement, including delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, and targeting them with shelling and gunfire.”
Obeida added: “The handover of the Zionist prisoners who were scheduled to be released next Saturday, February 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the past weeks retroactively.
“We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them.”
According to reports there has been little progress in the latest stages of negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
Earlier on Monday an Israeli delegation that flew to Doha for talks on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire at the weekend returned – sparking further doubts over the Egyptian and Qatari-brokered process to end the conflict in Gaza.
