Hamas has said the next hostage release scheduled to take place in Gaza on Saturday will be postponed “until further notice,” accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire deal.
Israel described the postponement as a “complete violation of the ceasefire” and called on the Israeli military to prepare for “any possible scenario” in Gaza.
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In a post on X, Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, said that the handover of the prisoners “who were scheduled to be released next Saturday … will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively.”
He added: “We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them.”
In a separate statement, Hamas said the move “serves as a warning” to Israel and was meant to pressure it into “fully honoring” the terms of the ceasefire deal.
“By issuing this statement five full days ahead of the scheduled prisoner handover, Hamas aims to grant mediators sufficient time to pressure the occupation to fulfill its obligations,” the statement read. “This also leaves the door open for the exchange to proceed as planned, provided the occupation complies.”
Abu Obeida detailed various alleged violations of the agreement by Israel over the past three weeks, including “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the Strip, and not allowing the entry of relief supplies in all their forms according to what was agreed upon.” Hamas also accused Israel of not allowing tents, prefabricated houses, fuel, or rubble-removing mechanisms into the Strip. It alleged Israel was also delaying the entry of essential medicines and hospital supplies.
In response to Hamas’ announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the country’s military to “prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza.”
The defense minister described Hamas’ postponement as a “complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the deal to release the hostages.”
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding consultations with his security leadership team, an Israeli official told CNN. A political-security cabinet meeting initially scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday local time is also being moved up to the morning hours due to Hamas’ announcement, the official said.