Hamas rejects US-Israeli 'threats' on captive exchange
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says it will not bow down to threats from Israel and the United States on the issue of captives.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said on Wednesday that Israel was "evading the implementation of several provisions of the ceasefire agreement," warning that captives would not be released without Israel complying with the deal.
"Our position is clear, and we will not accept the language of American and Israeli threats," said Qassem, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to "resume intense fighting" if captives were not released by Saturday.
On Wednesday, the regime’s military affairs minister warned Israel will restart its war on Gaza if Hamas fails to release Israeli captives and that this time it will be more devastating.
“The new Gaza war will be different in intensity from the one before the ceasefire, and it will not end without the defeat of Hamas and the release of all the hostages,” Israeli Katz said in a statement.
“It will also allow the realization of US President [Donald] Trump’s vision for Gaza,” Katz said, referring to the American leader’s plan for the United States to take over the Palestinian territory.
Those threats echoed Trump, who said on Monday that "hell" would break loose if Hamas failed to release "all" Israeli captives by then.
Hamas negotiators in Egypt
Hamas earlier said in a statement that a delegation headed by its top negotiator and Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya "arrived in Cairo and began meetings with Egyptian officials" and was monitoring "the implementation of the ceasefire agreement."
A diplomat familiar with the talks told AFP that mediators from Qatar and Egypt were engaged with both Israel and Hamas to resolve the dispute and ensure the implementation of the agreement.
The truce has largely halted more than 15 months of genocide and seen Israeli captives released in batches in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
But the deal has come under increasing strain with Hamas accusing Israel of failing to meet its commitments under the agreement, including on aid, and citing the deaths of three Gazans at the weekend in fresh attacks.
Hamas has said it would postpone the next captive exchange scheduled for Saturday, citing Israeli violations.
Israel and Hamas have so far carried out five rounds of captive exchange under the first phase, which was to last for 42 days.
The regime and Hamas have yet to agree on the next phases of the truce.
UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged Hamas to proceed with the planned release and "avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza."
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