HAMAS yesterday denounced US President Trump’s call for the Gaza ceasefire to be cancelled, warning that the only way for the Israeli captives to be returned is to respect the deal.
‘Trump should know that in order for the ceasefire in Gaza to last, both sides must comply with their obligations. This is the only way to bring back the (Israeli) captives,’ Sami Abu Zuhri, a high-ranking member of the Hamas political bureau, said.
He added: ‘The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters.’
Trump said on Monday he would propose cancelling the ceasefire in Gaza and ‘let hell break out’ if all Israeli captives held by Hamas were not released by midday Saturday.
‘As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock, I think it’s an appropriate time, I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out.
‘I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday.’
The US president said he wanted the captives released en masse, instead of a few at a time. ‘We want ’em all back.’
On Monday evening, Hamas said it would delay the release of more Israeli captives planned for Saturday ‘until further notice,’ due to the Tel Aviv regime’s violations of the ceasefire in Gaza.
The captives will ‘remain in place until the occupying entity complies with past obligations and compensates retroactively,’ Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, said in a statement.
‘Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy’s violations and their non-compliance with the terms of the agreement,’ he said.
‘These violations include delaying the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza, targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the Gaza Strip, and failing to allow the entry of relief materials in all forms as agreed upon. Meanwhile, the resistance has fulfilled all its obligations.’
The Qassam Brigades spokesman reaffirmed the group’s ‘commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation adheres to them.’
In response to Hamas’s announcement, Israeli war minister Israel Katz said he has instructed the military to ‘prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza.’
