Hamas: Israel evading its obligations under Gaza ceasefire accord

Israel said early Sunday that it has agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza during the Muslim month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover, following a proposal by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

The move came as Tel Aviv halted the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave, hours after the expiry of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

“Netanyahu is trying to overturn the signed ceasefire agreement, to serve his narrow political calculations at the expense of the Israeli captives in Gaza,” Hamas announced in a statement.

“This is a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering into negotiations for its second phase,” it added.

There was no announcement by the US envoy of the temporary ceasefire arrangement in Gaza.

The Palestinian group called Netanyahu’s decision to stop aid to Gaza “cheap blackmail, a war crime, and a blatant coup against the ceasefire agreement.”

It dismissed Netanyahu’s accusation against Hamas of violating the Gaza deal as “baseless and misleading allegations aimed at covering up Israel’s daily and systematic breaches of the agreement.”

According to the group, over 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army fire in Gaza since the ceasefire deal came into force on Jan. 19, in addition to blocking humanitarian aid and relief materials into the enclave.

Hamas urged mediators to pressure Israel “to fulfil its obligations under the agreement and implement the humanitarian protocol by allowing the entry of shelter materials and rescue equipment into Gaza.”

The first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement, which took effect on Jan. 19, officially ended at midnight on Saturday. However, Israel has not agreed to move forward to the second phase of the deal to bring an end to the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu had sought to extend the initial exchange phase to secure the release of as many Israeli captives as possible without offering anything in return or fulfilling the military and humanitarian obligations of the agreement.

Hamas has refused to proceed under these conditions, insisting that Israel abide by the terms of the ceasefire and immediately start negotiations for the second phase, which includes a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a complete halt to the war.

The ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement has halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,380 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

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.