Hamas Accuses Israel’s Netanyahu of Sabotaging Gaza Ceasefire Deal

A Hamas official in an interview with Al Jazeera has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately undermining the Gaza ceasefire agreement following Israel’s postponement of the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, stated that the group would not participate in further ceasefire negotiations until Israel releases the 620 Palestinian prisoners who were scheduled for release on Saturday.

“Before going to the next step, we have to be sure that the past step, which was releasing 620 prisoners, are already released,” Naim said, adding, “Netanyahu is clearly sending strong messages that he is intentionally sabotaging the deal, he is preparing the atmosphere for returning back to the war.”

The accusations follow Israel’s announcement on Sunday that it had delayed the release of Palestinian prisoners, who were to be freed in exchange for six Israeli captives held in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s office released a statement citing Hamas’s captive release ceremonies as the reason for the delay, calling them “humiliating” to the hostages and accusing Hamas of “cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes.”

Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect last month, Israel and Hamas have engaged in a series of captive-for-prisoner exchanges. Mediators have been encouraging both sides to continue negotiations to reach the second phase of the agreement. However, doubts have emerged regarding Netanyahu’s willingness to proceed to the next stage.

Despite the current tensions, Hamas is expected to release the bodies of four Israeli captives later this week, as outlined in the existing ceasefire agreement.