Reuters. Hamas' armed wing will delay the release of more Israeli hostages planned for Saturday until further notice, according to a statement on Monday (February 10) by the group's spokesperson on Telegram.
The unexpected announcement comes amid growing doubts over an already fragile ceasefire even as families of the Israeli hostages urge the government to stick to the deal and Gazans try to start rebuilding their lives in the shattered enclave.
Hamas was to release some Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and other Palestinians held in Israeli detention as had happened over the past three weeks.
Hamas military wing spokesperson Abu Ubaida said Israeli violations to the ceasefire agreement had included Israel delaying Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza, targeting Palestinians with Israeli shelling and gunfire and stopping aid from entering the strip.
The ceasefire has largely held since it began January 19, although there have been some incidents where Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. The amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza has increased since the ceasefire, aid agencies say.
Hamas' Ubaida said the next scheduled release of hostages on Saturday would be postponed until Israel complies with the ceasefire agreement and "compensates for the past weeks."
In reply, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas' announcement violated the ceasefire deal and that he had instructed the military to prepare at the highest level of readiness in Gaza and to defend Israeli communities.
A group representing hostage families called on mediators of the ceasefire to stop the deal from breaking down, while another group representing Israel military veterans accused the government of intentionally sabotaging the ceasefire agreement.
