Tel Aviv [Israel], February 12: Hamas' announcement to delay hostage release raises the possibility that the Gaza ceasefire agreement will collapse before completing phase 1.
The ceasefire in Gaza, which has been in effect for less than a month, is now in danger of collapsing after Hamas announced it would postpone the release of hostages scheduled for February 15. Israel's subsequent reaction and US President Donald Trump's tough statements have led observers to predict that the agreement could be canceled and fighting could flare up again.
Fragile agreement
The deal, which took effect on January 19, has brought a lull in the fighting after 15 months of intense fighting. AFP reported yesterday (February 11) that since then there have been five releases of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners . However, just over half way through the six-week first phase, the fragile ceasefire is in danger of breaking down and 17 hostages have yet to be released by Hamas under the terms of the first phase deal.
Hamas officials on February 10 accused Israel of not seriously implementing the agreement, delaying the return of Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip and hindering humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza. Hamas said it would release the hostages on time if Tel Aviv stopped its violations. Meanwhile, Israel counter-claimed that Hamas' announcement of a delay in releasing prisoners violated the ceasefire. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the army to be on the highest level of readiness to prepare for possible developments in Gaza.
In the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, many people took to the streets to protest on the evening of February 10, blocking roads and demanding the Israeli government prevent the risk of a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza are afraid of what could happen next. "People are hoarding supplies because they are worried that fighting could flare up again. People who have experienced a lot during the war are now worried about any announcement, whether from the opponents or the authorities in Gaza," Al Jazeera quoted Mohammed Yusuf, a resident of Khan Younis in Gaza City, as saying.
Mr. Trump issued an "ultimatum"
Hours after Hamas announced the delay in releasing the hostages, US President Donald Trump declared that if Hamas did not release all remaining hostages by 12:00 on February 15, he would call for the ceasefire to be canceled and "the situation will get worse."
When asked by reporters to elaborate on his remarks, the US leader said: "You'll see, Hamas will know what I mean." Mr. Trump emphasized that Hamas needed to release all hostages by the end of this week, not just a few at a time like in recent weeks.
Hamas yesterday insisted that Trump's previous threats were "invalid," stressing that the deal was the only way for the hostages to return home. According to Reuters, Trump was unhappy with the health of the most recent hostages released by Hamas on February 8.
Meanwhile, Trump's recent statements about his plans to take over Gaza have also posed a challenge to the negotiations. The Hamas delegation said that the US guarantee of the ceasefire was no longer valid as Trump wanted to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. The armed group added that the mediators had postponed the discussions until Washington made clear its intention to continue the negotiations in stages. The White House boss also threatened to stop aid to Jordan and Egypt if the two countries did not accept Palestinians in Gaza under Trump's proposed plan to rebuild the strip.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
