Hamas is using hostages to pressure Israel, but risks blowing up the truce. After the announcement made last night about a “to be defined” postponement of the release of the hostages scheduled for next Saturday in response to alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement by Israel, the Islamic group has straightened the line.
With a partial backtrack, Hamas clarifies that the door remains open for the exchange of hostages and detainees on Saturday, as envisaged by the agreement for the truce in Gaza. “Hamas intentionally made this announcement (for the postponement of the release of the hostages, ed) five days earlier to give mediators ample time to pressure Israel to keep its commitments. The door remains open for the exchange to take place as planned, once the occupier implements the commitments made”.
A message that arrives after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a meeting with security chiefs, had made it known that Israel “remains committed to respecting the agreement” clarifying that “all the families of the hostages have been informed” of the latest developments.
Meanwhile, however, the Israeli army has announced that it is “strongly reinforcing the area” around the Gaza Strip, after receiving orders from Defense Minister Israel Katz to be ready “for all scenarios”. “After assessing the situation (…) it was decided to significantly reinforce the area with additional troops for defensive missions,” the statement read. Earlier, Katz had accused Hamas of violating the truce agreement by announcing that it would postpone the next release of Israeli hostages, scheduled for Saturday.
“We will not return to the reality of October 7,” Katz added, referring to the attack two years ago in Israel that led to the launch of Israeli military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“Today Hamas justified its announcement by accusing Israel of violating the terms of the agreement for a truce and Katz branded the group’s decision as a “total violation of the ceasefire”.
And from the far right, the former Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir returns to incite war: “We must go back to war” in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces (IDF) should launch a “massive attack”. His party, Otzma Yehudit, left the government, left the coalition in protest at the ceasefire agreement between Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and Hamas.
“Hamas’ announcement – Ben Gvir now writes on X referring to the group’s decision to postpone the release of other Israeli hostages scheduled for next Saturday “indefinitely” – should have a concrete response: a massive attack on Gaza, from land and from the sky, along with the total blockade of humanitarian aid to the Strip, including electricity, fuel and water, and the bombing of the aid that has already arrived and is in the hands of Hamas”. “We must return to war and destroy,” he concludes.
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Source: American Military News
