Hostage deal stopped

Criticism of Israel: Hamas halts hostage releases

Hamas has initially postponed the release of further hostages planned for Saturday. Israel is blocking aid deliveries and violating the ceasefire, the terrorist organization explained.

(Bild: AFP/Omar AL-QATTAA)

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is threatening to collapse after Hamas suspended the release of further Israeli hostages and accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire agreement. Insiders report that mistrust is dominating the negotiations. One of the reasons for this is US President Donald Trump's announcement that he wants to relocate the Palestinian residents. 

On Monday, the spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of Hamas, Abu Ubaida, accused Israel of delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip, threatening residents and preventing the import of aid supplies. Israel had thus breached the ceasefire agreements.

Hamas demands clear US statement on agreements
The Israeli government immediately insisted on compliance with the agreements. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had convened the security cabinet to assess the situation on Monday, a government official said. Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Hamas was violating the ceasefire agreement and ordered the military in the Gaza Strip to the highest level of readiness.

Egyptian security circles, which are also involved in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas, have stated that talks on the implementation of the ceasefire will be suspended until the USA clearly commits to the agreements. The agreements have lost their validity since US President Donald Trump brought the resettlement of the Palestinian inhabitants of the Gaza Strip into play.

The hostage Or Levy was released on Saturday together with two other men as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. They will be the last hostages for the time being.

(Bild: APA-PictureDesk/BASHAR TALEB / AFP / picturedesk.com)

Hamas calls on Israel to "give in"
 Hamas will not release any more hostages until Israel "gives in and compensates for the past weeks", said Ubaida. A further exchange of hostages and prisoners was originally planned for next Saturday. Last Saturday, Hamas released three more hostages. Over the past three weeks, the ceasefire has largely held, although some Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. According to aid organizations, deliveries of relief supplies to the Gaza Strip have increased.

21 of 33 hostages released
So far, 21 of the 33 hostages who were to be released in the first phase of the agreement have been handed over to Israel. The released hostages include five Thai nationals who had been abducted. In return, Israel has released hundreds of prisoners and detainees. Israel has accused Hamas of not adhering to the order in which the hostages were to be released. In addition, the handover of the hostages was staged in front of a large crowd.

Negotiations on a second phase of the ceasefire began last week. Their aim is the release of the remaining hostages and the agreement of a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip in preparation for a final end to the war. Israeli negotiators returned from Qatar on Monday. Initially, no reasons were given for their departure from the site of the negotiations. A Palestinian familiar with the talks said that mistrust was preventing progress. Both sides were accusing each other of not adhering to the ceasefire agreements.

Trump's Gaza statements put a strain on negotiations
The efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are also being hampered by statements made by the US President. In an interview with Fox News, excerpts of which were published on Monday, Trump said in response to the question of whether the Palestinians had the right to return after the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip: "No, they don't". He reiterated his suggestion that Egypt and Jordan could take in the Palestinians. Both states have already rejected this. Netanyahu had welcomed Trump's initiative.

Relatives ask mediators for help
The Israeli Forum of Relatives is asking the mediating countries in the conflict for support. The implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas must be ensured, the organization announced. "We stand with the Israeli government and are committed to upholding the conditions that guarantee the successful continuation of the agreement and the safe return of our 76 brothers and sisters," it said. According to Israeli sources, 35 of the remaining 76 abductees are no longer alive. The list of remaining hostages still to be released includes the Austrian-Israeli dual national Tal Shoham.