Hamas announced on Thursday, February 13, that it will release three Israeli captives next Saturday as scheduled. The movement’s announcement came three days after it had warned to postpone the process until further notice because of Israel’s violations of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas had also demanded Israel to “compensate for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively”, before it decides to resume the implementation of the deal. According to Hamas, Israel violated the deal by “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with shelling and gunfire, and blocking humanitarian aid.”
Consequently, Egypt and Qatar, which are main mediators and guarantors of Gaza ceasefire and captives-for-prisoners swap deal, pledged to work to “remove obstacles and fill gaps” caused by Israel after Hamas paused the process.
The mediators seem to have succeeded in exerting pressure on Israel to comply with Hamas’s demands as the entry of essential supplies into the besieged Gaza Strip sped up on Thursday, following Hamas’s warnings to Israel.
Palestinian resistance continue to impose its dictates regarding the deal despite Trump’s threats
Once Hamas warned to suspend the deal over Israeli violations, US President Donald Trump threatened that “hell is going to break out” unless the movement releases all of the Israeli captives in Gaza on Saturday.
However, Hamas continued to defy Trump’s bluster by sticking to its unwavering demands and refusal to renounce the rights and entitlements of the Palestinian people.
