Hamas announced on Monday that it will halt the release of Israeli hostages, citing alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement by Israel.
According to Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida, Israel has delayed the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, continued military shelling and gunfire targeting Gazans, and blocked the entry of relief materials since the ceasefire began on January 19, 2025.
Hamas stated that further hostage releases will remain suspended until Israel “complies and compensates for the past weeks.
So far 16 Israeli hostages have been released in this deal, in exchange for more than 670 Palestinian prisoners and detainees free.
However, incidents of Palestinians being killed by Israeli gunfire and delays in humanitarian aid have been reported. The next exchange, planned for Saturday, has now been postponed indefinitely.
In response, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement by halting the releases and instructed the military to maintain high readiness in Gaza.
“Hamas’ announcement to stop releasing Israeli hostages is a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the deal to release the hostages. I have instructed the IDF (military) to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza,” Katz said in a statement.
An Israeli delegation that flew to Doha for talks on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire at the weekend has returned, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Monday, amid growing doubts over the Egyptian and Qatari-brokered process to end the war in Gaza.
The decision comes at a sensitive time for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces domestic pressure to secure the return of hostages.
At the end of the first phase of the deal, 33 Israeli hostages would’ve been freed in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. More than 70 Israeli hostages are currently held by Hamas, many of whom are believed to be dead, according to Israel.
The next stage of the deal is supposed to see additional hostages released for prisoners and a further withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
On the other hand, US President Donald Trump is planning that the U.S. take over Gaza and relocate the nearly two million Palestinians elsewhere. This plan has invited the ire of Hamas’ leadership in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, as well as rejection from regional leaders and many U.S allies.
Hamas’ Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya in a statement on Monday said that the plans of the West, the United States and US President Donald Trump for the Gaza Strip were “doomed.”
“We will bring them down as we brought down the projects before them,” he said during a commemoration of the 46th anniversary of the Iranian revolution in Tehran.
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