Hamas delays release of captives over Israel’s violation of ceasefire

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says it has decided to delay the release of a second batch of Israeli captives under a ceasefire in Gaza over Israel’s lack of commitment to the agreement which came into effect on Friday.

Hamas’ military wing, known as the Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Saturday it had suspended the release under the ceasefire deal with Israel while it was communicating with mediators to address the regime's violations of the agreement.

According to Press TV, it said Israel was not holding up its part of the deal on issues like easing the delivery of humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza as well as halting gunfire that it said has led to more deaths and injuries among civilians.

Osama Hamdan, a senior political official of Hamas, also said that Israel had started violating the terms of the agreement on Friday and continued its violations on Saturday.

Israel denied the claims with a military spokesperson telling French television channel BFM that the regime had fully respected the truce.

Hamas and Israel agreed as part of a ceasefire deal that was mediated by Qatar earlier this week to exchange prisoners and to stop fighting for four days.

The two sides carried out a first round of prisoner swaps on the first day of the deal on Friday.

Under the deal, Hamas will release a total of 50 Israeli captives taken during a blitz into Israeli-occupied Palestine in early October in return for the release of 150 Palestinians from Israeli jails.

Hamas has said it is ready to extend the deal to put an end to an Israeli aggression that has massacred nearly 15,000 people in Gaza over the past 50 days.

ME