Hamas has announced the indefinite postponement of the next hostage-prisoner exchange under the truce agreement, accusing Israel of failing to respect the terms of the deal .
“The release of prisoners, scheduled for Saturday, February 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice, pending the occupation’s compliance and retroactive fulfillment of its obligations from recent weeks ,” Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, said in a statement. “We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation adheres to it.”
A decision that Israel calls a "total violation" of the truce , with Defense Minister Israel Katz, who has already announced that he has "ordered the IDF to prepare for maximum alert for any possible scenario in Gaza and to protect the communities" on the border, the Times of Israel reports.
“We will not return to the reality of October 7,” Katz added, calling Hamas’ move “an absolute violation of the ceasefire.”
(Unioneonline/vl)