The Hamas Movement said on Monday evening that its decision to halt the release of captives “until further notice” is meant as a warning to Israeli enemy and an attempt to pressure it into fully adhering to the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
“We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them,” the Movement said.
Hamas detailed various violations of the agreement by Israeli enemy over the past three weeks, including “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the Strip, and not allowing the entry of relief supplies in all their forms according to what was agreed upon.”
Hamas also said that the Israeli enemy is not allowing tents, prefabricated houses, fuel, or rubble-removing mechanisms into the Strip, stressing that Israel was delaying the entry of essential medicines and hospital supplies.
“By issuing this statement five full days ahead of the scheduled prisoner handover, Hamas aims to grant mediators sufficient time to pressure the occupation to fulfil its obligations,” the statement reads.
“This also leaves the door open for the exchange to proceed as planned, provided the occupation complies.”
In a post on X, Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, said that the handover of the Israeli captives “who were scheduled to be released next Saturday will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively.”
