DaysofPal- Senior Hamas officials have accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately sabotaging the ceasefire agreement and warned that no further negotiations will take place until Israel fulfills its commitments under the deal.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, stated, “We are not the weak or defeated party for the Israeli occupation to dictate its conditions on us. Netanyahu is not only tampering with the agreement but also with the fate of Israeli prisoners.”
He described Israel’s decision to postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners as a “stupid step” and urged mediators to intervene, saying, “Netanyahu does not know the gravity of his step, so we call on the mediators to assume their responsibility in this regard.”
Abu Zuhri also emphasized Hamas’s treatment of Israeli captives, declaring, “We have treated the Zionist prisoners with respect, and the scene of a prisoner kissing the head of a resistance fighter is a practical response to the Israeli lies.”
He further warned, “Netanyahu wants to maneuver, but we have the cards that will force him to abide by the agreement.”
Mahmoud Mardawi, another senior Hamas official, reaffirmed the movement’s stance, stating, “The mediators must oblige the enemy to implement the agreement.” He stressed that Hamas will not engage in any discussions through mediators on any further steps until Israel releases the prisoners agreed upon for exchange on Saturday.
Echoing these concerns, Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, accused Netanyahu’s government of attempting to undermine the deal. He stated, “Unfortunately, all the time Netanyahu and his government have been trying to undermine and sabotage the deal.
They have committed a lot of violations, killed more than 100 Palestinians, prevented most of the basic needs of the Palestinians from entering the Gaza Strip, and lastly refused to release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners.”
Naim further warned, “because Netanyahu is sending strong messages that he is intentionally sabotaging the deal, he is preparing the atmosphere for returning to the war. Therefore, what are the guarantees that he might take the other four bodies and again not release the agreed-upon number of Palestinians plus the 620 Palestinians?”
He made it clear that Hamas would not engage in any further ceasefire discussions until the 620 prisoners are released, stating, “We have conveyed a clear and strong message to the mediators: We cannot continue talking or discussing any further steps if these 620 Palestinians are not released.”
“Every option is on the table, not just what should happen on Thursday but even the other terms of the deal,” Naim added.
Israel’s decision on Sunday to indefinitely postpone the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, despite Hamas freeing six captives from Gaza a day earlier as stipulated by the Gaza ceasefire agreement, has caused widespread outrage. The decision devastated hundreds of Palestinian families who had gathered in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, waiting for hours to welcome their loved ones, only to be told they were not coming.
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