Hamas announced that it will delay its next release of Israeli hostages, claiming that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement.
The announcement came two days after the last hostage release sparked outrage in Israel and beyond, as the three released captives came out of Gaza looking emaciated. It also came as President Donald Trump doubled down on his plan for Gaza to be permanently depopulated and for the United States to take control of the territory.
“We’ll build safe communities a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,” he said in a recent interview on Fox News. “In the meantime, I would own this.”
He added that Palestinians would not have a right to return to Gaza. “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing,” he said. “I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.”
The next release is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15, and there have been snags in the agreement in the past that have later been resolved. The first phase of the agreement began Jan. 19 and is meant to last until March 2. Seventeen hostages are slated to be released during the remainder of the ceasefire’s first phase, eight of whom are confirmed to be dead.
Hamas claimed that Israel violated the truce by delaying the return of Palestinians to their homes, delaying the entry of aid into the territory and firing on residents. It has demanded that Israel “compensate” for the alleged violations.
In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israeli military to “prepare at the highest level of alert.” The statements came after Israel completed its withdrawal from a key portion of the territory, the Netzarim corridor, a strip of land bisecting Gaza that the Israeli military has held for much of the war.
Hamas’ statement adds more instability to an already tenuous truce. The current first phase of the ceasefire was meant to lead to a second stage in which Israel withdrew all of its troops from Gaza in exchange for Hamas releasing all living hostages. But several factors are posing obstacles to that path.
While negotiations are underway over the second phase, their scope is unclear. In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said that he will not agree to the second phase. A break with Smotrich could doom Netanyahu’s government.
Debates over the hostages, and how to release them, have also escalated since Saturday, as Netanyahu’s critics in Israel have called on him to redouble efforts to free hostages held in atrocious conditions, while he and his allies have insisted on a future for Gaza without Hamas rule. Netanyahu has endorsed Trump’s plan.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
