Hamas postpones hostage release because of Israel's breach of treaty

Hamas postpones hostage release because of Israel's breach of treaty

Hamas has announced that the next planned release of hostages, which was scheduled to take place in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, will be postponed. The group accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas statements about the hostage taking

In a post on This happens “until the occupying power commits itself to the contractual obligations of the past few weeks and subsequently compensates for them.”

Reactions from Israel

Responding to Hamas' announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the armed forces to prepare for "the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza." Katz called Hamas' move a "complete violation of the peace agreement and the deal to release the hostages."

Political statements in Israel

Former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, from the ranks of Israel's far-right parties, called for a "massive attack on Gaza." In a statement on Monday, Ben Gvir said Hamas' announcement "requires a clearly defined response: a full-scale attack on Gaza from the air and ground, complemented by a complete halt to humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, including electricity, fuel and water, as well as the bombing of aid packages already delivered and in the possession of Hamas."

Background of the conflict

Both Hamas and Israel have accused each other of violations during the first phase of the deal, raising questions about whether the ceasefire reached in January after more than 15 months will hold. Last Saturday, Hamas released three hostages in an exchange that took place after the ceasefire took effect on January 19.

Details about the hostages

In return, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners, 18 of whom were serving life sentences. Most of these prisoners had been held in Gaza since October 7 and had no public charges against them. So far, Hamas has released a total of 16 Israeli hostages under the first phase of the deal, out of a total of 33 that were scheduled to be released at various intervals during this phase. According to the Israeli government, eight of these 33 hostages are dead.

Future negotiations and situation on site

After the release of the three hostages, Hamas and its allies are still holding a total of 73 people captive October 7, 2023 were kidnapped from Israel, while initially 251 people were kidnapped. Three other hostages who have been held captive since 2014 are also still in Gaza.

Under an agreement signed in Qatar last month, negotiations to launch a second phase were due to begin on Monday.

On Monday, the Gaza government's Hamas-run media office said Israel had refused to allow aid stipulated in the ceasefire.

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