Group says it met all obligations ‘accurately and on time,' while delaying Israeli prisoner release pending Israeli compliance
Hamas announced Monday night that it had fully met its obligations under the Gaza ceasefire agreement “accurately and on time,” while accusing Israel of violating four key provisions of the deal.
The statement followed an earlier announcement by the group's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, which postponed the release of Israeli prisoners under the sixth batch of the phase one of the agreement.
The release, originally scheduled for Saturday, was delayed until Israel fulfills all its terms of the deal.
Hamas said it intentionally announced the delay five days before the scheduled release to give the mediators (Egypt, Qatar and the US) time to pressure Israel into compliance.
The group reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire agreement, saying it would uphold the deal “as long as the Zionist occupation does the same.” It stressed that it had met all its obligations “with precision and within the agreed-upon timeframe.”
According to Hamas, Israel violated the agreement in four ways: delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, targeting Palestinians with airstrikes and gunfire, obstructing the entry of shelter supplies, and slowing the delivery of essential medical aid.
The three-phase ceasefire deal has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting Israel's genocidal war that has killed more than 48,000 people and left the enclave in ruins.
In phase one of truce, which runs until early March, 33 Israeli hostages are to be released in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners. The sixth Israeli-Hamas swap was set for this week.
Last November the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
