Hamas says it is postponing next hostage release, claiming Israel has broken terms of deal – CNN
Source: CNN
Hamas has postponed the next hostage release scheduled to take place in Gaza on Saturday “until further notice,” accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire deal.
Israel described the postponement as a “complete violation of the ceasefire” and called on the Israeli military to prepare for “any possible scenario” in Gaza.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, urged Israel to cancel the ceasefire and “let all hell break out” unless Hamas release all remaining hostages by Saturday, a demand that goes beyond the deal hashed out between the militant group and Israel and injects fresh uncertainty into an already fragile agreement.
In a post on X published before Trump spoke, Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing the Qassam Brigades, said that the handover of the hostages “who were scheduled to be released next Saturday … will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively.”
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He added: “We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them.”
However, in a later statement, Hamas said there was still an opportunity for the release to go forward as planned. It said the move “serves as a warning” to Israel and was meant to pressure it into “fully honoring” the terms of the ceasefire deal.
“By issuing this statement five full days ahead of the scheduled prisoner handover, Hamas aims to grant mediators sufficient time to pressure the occupation to fulfill its obligations,” the statement read. “This also leaves the door open for the exchange to proceed as planned, provided the occupation complies.”
Abu Obeida detailed various alleged violations of the agreement by Israel over the past three weeks, including “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the strip, and not allowing the entry of relief supplies in all their forms according to what was agreed upon.” Hamas also accused Israel of not allowing tents, prefabricated houses, fuel, or rubble-removing mechanisms into the strip. It alleged Israel was also delaying the entry of essential medicines and hospital supplies.
A diplomat with knowledge of the ceasefire talks claimed to CNN that the UN, Qatar and other countries had requested to deliver temporary shelters to Gaza but Israel turned them down. CNN has reached out to Israeli officials regarding the diplomat’s claim.
In response to Hamas’ postponement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the country’s military to “prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza.”
The defense minister described Hamas’ move as a “complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the deal to release the hostages.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said later it was “raising its level of readiness in southern Israel and postponing leave for combat soldiers” and would reinforce the area to enhance its “readiness for various scenarios.”
An Israeli official told CNN Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was consulting his security leadership team and that a political-security cabinet meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday local time had been moved up to the morning hours due to Hamas’ announcement.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, US President Trump said as far as he was 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 (the ceasefire) and all bets are off and let hell break out.”
Pressed on what “all hell” might entail in Gaza, Trump demurred, adding “You’ll find out, and they’ll find out – Hamas will find out what I mean.”
The US leader also expressed skepticism over how many hostages remain alive to release, saying, “I think a lot of the hostages are dead.”
Trump’s statement was just the latest in a series of inflammatory remarks about Gaza in recent days, including proposals to permanently displace Palestinians from the strip. On Sunday, he doubled down on his plans for the US to redevelop Gaza, calling the war-torn enclave as a “big real estate site.”
It’s not clear how Trump’s proposals would be carried out, or if he even has the authority to do so – but they have bolstered Netanyahu and Israel’s far-right, and opened a host of legal questions.
Opponents and many analysts have long warned the forcible removal of a population would breach international law.
“I think it’s important to state very clearly upfron
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