In a statement on Monday, Hamas said Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is obstructing the implementation of the agreement for purely personal and partisan reasons, and the last thing he cares about is the release of the captives and the feelings of their families.”
Hamas reiterated its full commitment to the implementation of the agreement, expressing its readiness for the immediate start of the ceasefire’s second-phase talks.
Meanwhile, the movement added the Israeli regime “continues to violate the agreement and refuses to start its second phase”, adding this “procrastination” will “increase its isolation and expose the falsity of its narrative to the world.”
Hamas pointed out that the truce deal was brokered by international mediators and witnessed by the world, which requires obligating the regime to implement the agreement as the only way to recover the captives.
Israel launched the campaign of genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023. It has killed more than 48,400 Palestinians there so far.
In January, the Israeli regime was forced to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas given the regime’s failure to achieve any of its objectives, including the “elimination” of the Palestinian resistance movement or the release of captives.
During the first phase of the deal, Hamas exchanged 33 Israeli captives and five Thais for some 2,000 Palestinians.
The 42-day stage of the truce, which was marred by repeated Israeli violations, expired on March 1, with Israel refraining from stepping into talks for the second stage of the agreement.
Hamas has insisted on proceeding to negotiations on a permanent ceasefire before agreeing to any further releases of Israeli captives.
