Hamas Postpones Hostage Releases Indefinitely
Hamas has announced its decision to postpone ongoing hostage releases until further notice.
In a statement released on Monday, the group’s spokesperson, Abu Obeida, accused Israel of breaching the terms of the ceasefire deal reached last month.
Specifically, Obieda said the planned release on Saturday would no longer hold as scheduled, but expressed commitment to uphold its part of the deal as long as Israel does the same.
“The handover of the Zionist prisoners who were scheduled to be released next Saturday, corresponding to 15-02-2025, will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits and compensates the entitlement of the past weeks retroactively.” Obieda wrote on Telegram.
“We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as the occupation committed to,” he added.
The delay follows the release of three Israeli hostages on Saturday, marking the fourth such exchange since the ceasefire took effect on January 19.
Currently, 79 Israeli hostages taken on October 7, 2023, remain in Gaza, with only 20 slated for release under this phase of the truce. However, reports indicate that eight of them are believed to be dead.
As part of the agreement, Israel has freed 183 Palestinian prisoners, including 18 serving life sentences.
Some had been detained since October 7, 2023 without formal charges.
The ceasefire agreement, brokered in Qatar last month, included provisions for further negotiations, which were set to begin on Monday.
However, earlier in the day, Hamas’ Gaza Government Media Office accused Israel of blocking the entry of shelter supplies promised under the deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had on Saturday pledged to rescue all remaining hostages and dismantle Hamas following the return of three Israeli captives in severely weakened condition.
The hostages, Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami, were freed on Saturday after being held in Gaza for 16 months.
They were handed over to the Red Cross in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, but their frail and malnourished appearances sparked outrage in Israel, intensifying calls for stronger military action against Hamas.
In a strongly worded statement, Netanyahu condemned Hamas for mistreating captives, saying: “Their blood is on their heads.”
He vowed that Israel would not rest until all hostages were returned.
“We have once again seen what the Hamas monsters are. They are the same monsters who slaughtered our citizens and abused our captives.
“We will do everything to return all the hostages, but Hamas won’t be there. We will eliminate Hamas and return all our captives,”Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, as part of the ongoing ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
Hamas Postpones Hostage Releases Indefinitely is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
