Hamas: Swap deal only possible after second phase of ceasefire talks

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has said that any further captive-abductee exchanges with Israel will only be possible after the two sides engage in the second phase of Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

In a statement on Sunday, the Gaza-based resistance group highlighted that the Israeli regime is “blatantly attempting” to “evade” talks for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.

“The statement issued by the office of the terrorist [Israeli] occupation Prime Minister Netanyahu, regarding his alleged approval of American proposals to extend the first phase of the agreement under arrangements that violate the ceasefire agreement in Gaza is a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering negotiations for its second phase,” read he statement.

As the 42-day first phase of the previously agreed ceasefire came to an end on Saturday, Netanyahu’s office unilaterally announced that Israel will adopt the proposal by US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, for an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza for the Ramadan and Passover periods

“We affirm that the only way for the [Israeli] occupation to recover its prisoners is to abide by the agreement and immediately enter negotiations for the second phase while fulfilling its obligations,” the statement added.

As part of the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement, over 2,000 Palestinian abductees, held illegally in Israeli prisons and detention centers in exchange for 25 Israeli captives and the remains of eight others.

Israeli authorities claim that 27 captives remain in captivity within the Gaza Strip, and 32 bodies have yet to be recovered.

Hamas called on the US administration to end its “bias” and “alignment” with the “fascist plans of war criminal Netanyahu, which target our people and their very existence on their land.”

Hams, in its statement, also criticized Israel’s “daily” and “systematic violations” of the ceasefire that have resulted in the killing of over 100 Palestinians in Gaza, the obstruction of humanitarian protocols, the prevention of shelter and aid supplies, and the deepening of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip.

“We urge mediators to pressure the occupation into fulfilling its commitments under the agreement, ensuring the implementation of the humanitarian protocol, and allowing the entry of shelter materials and rescue equipment into Gaza,” it added.

Hamas rejects Israel’s proposal to extend phase one of Gaza ceasefire

Hamas has rejected Israel’s proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, calling on the international community to pressure the occupying regime to proceed to the second phase of the deal.

On Saturday, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem also rejected Israel’s proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, calling on the international community to pressure Tel Aviv to proceed to the second phase of the deal as originally planned.

“Extending the first phase of the deal in the form proposed by Israel is unacceptable” to the resistance group, Qassem said, adding that the occupying regime bears full responsibility for the failure to begin negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

The Hamas spokesman said the Israeli regime is evading its commitment to ending the war and fully withdrawing from Gaza, adding that it “is trying to reset matters to square one by shuffling the cards with its proposal to extend the first phase.”

Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The Tel Aviv regime failed to achieve its declared objectives of freeing captives and eliminating Hamas despite killing at least 48,348 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.

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