Tel Aviv [Israel], February 11: Hamas on Monday announced it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice over what the Palestinian militant group called Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, raising the risk of reigniting the conflict.
Hamas was to release more Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and other Palestinians held in Israeli detention as had happened over the past three weeks.
After Hamas' unexpected announcement, hostage families and their supporters packed the area of Tel Aviv now known as Hostages Square on Monday night to press the government not to abandon the deal.
"Every single person that doesn't belong there needs to come home now," said Shoshana Brickman, a protester who joined a crowd of around 2,000 in the unscheduled demonstration. "Every single person, all the hostages, all of them."
Hamas said it made its announcement five days before Saturday's scheduled hostage release so mediators could pressure Israel to uphold its ceasefire obligations and "keep the door open for the exchange to take place on time."
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas' move violated the ceasefire and he instructed the military to be at the highest level of readiness in Gaza and for domestic defence.
An Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet with the security cabinet which includes defence, national security and foreign affairs ministers on Tuesday morning.
Two Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Monday mediators fear a breakdown of the ceasefire agreement. Qatar and Egypt brokered the deal alongside the United States.
So far, 16 of the 33 hostages to be freed in the first 42-day phase of the deal have come home, as well as five Thai hostages who were returned in an unscheduled release.
In exchange, Israel has released hundreds of prisoners and detainees, including prisoners serving life sentences for deadly attacks and Palestinians detained during the war and held without charge.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
