Published: 1:15am, 11 Feb 2025Updated: 1:45am, 11 Feb 2025
Palestinian militant group Hamas announced on Monday it would indefinitely postpone the next hostage-prisoner exchange under a fragile truce agreement with Israel, accusing it of failing to comply with its terms.
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“The release of the prisoners [Israeli hostages], which was scheduled for next Saturday, February 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice, pending the occupation’s compliance and retroactive fulfilment of the past weeks’ obligations,” Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation adheres to them,” he added.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas’ announcement is “a violation of the ceasefire deal”.
He said he had ordered the military to be at the highest level of readiness in Gaza.
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Under the terms of the deal between Hamas and Israel, the first phase of which came into effect on January 19, 33 Israeli hostages were to be released in exchange for around 1,900 prisoners, most of them Palestinian, being held in Israeli jails.
On Saturday they completed their fifth hostage-prisoner exchange, with three Israeli hostages and 183 Palestinian prisoners released.