Hamas threatened to postpone further exchanges under a fragile ceasefire deal it said Israel was violating, prompting a threat from Donald Trump to end the ceasefire.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Hamas to go ahead with the scheduled hostage releases after US President Donald Trump warned that “all hell would break loose” if every Israeli hostage is not released from Gaza within days.
This comes as the delicate truce between Israel and Hamas after 15 months of fighting was shaken after Hamas said it would delay a planned hostage release.
A spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement earlier on Monday that the next hostage release, “which was scheduled for next Saturday, February 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice.”.
The group accuses Israel of failing to carry out its commitments under the truce in time and of violating the ceasefire, including on humanitarian aid deliveries and after the Sunday deaths of three Gazans.
In a later statement, Hamas said it had “intentionally” made the announcement five days before the next exchange to allow mediators ample time to pressure Israel “towards fulfilling its obligations. The door remains open for the prisoner exchange batch to proceed as planned, once the occupation complies.”.
Guterres said on X that the resumption of hostilities in GazaCeasefire talks intensify amid ongoing violence in Gaza that would lead to immense tragedy “must be avoided at all costs”. I call on Hamas to go ahead with the planned hostage liberation. Both parties should fully respect their obligations under the ceasefire agreement & return to substantive negotiations,” Guterres said on X.
