Al-Qassam announces postponement of release of prisoners "until further notice" and a state of alert in Israel

The spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), announced today, Monday, that the release of Israeli prisoners held by the movement will be postponed until the occupation commits to the terms of the agreement and compensates for the past weeks retroactively.

Abu Obeida said that the resistance leadership had monitored the enemy's violations and failure to abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement over the past three weeks, as well as its delay in the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip and targeting them with shelling and gunfire.

He added that "the enemy delayed the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip and targeted them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the Strip," and prevented the entry of relief supplies in all their forms according to what was agreed upon, while the resistance carried out everything it was required to do.

He said that "the handover of the Zionist prisoners who were scheduled to be released next Saturday, February 15, will be postponed until further notice and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the past weeks retroactively. We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them."

Regarding this development, political analyst Saeed Ziad told Al Jazeera that it came one day after the occupation forces completed their withdrawal from the Netzarim axis and five days before the date of the sixth prisoner exchange, to allow mediators to oblige the occupation to meet the requirements of the first stage and not push the agreement towards collapse.

In response to Hamas' announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel insists on adhering to the ceasefire agreement as written and views any violation seriously.

In turn, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that Hamas' announcement to stop releasing the kidnapped Israelis is a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the exchange deal.

Katz explained that he had instructed the army to be on high alert for any possible scenario in Gaza, and to defend Israeli towns.

For his part, the resigned Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said that the only response to Hamas' statement should be a broad fire attack from the air and land, and a halt to all forms of aid to Gaza.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that members of the negotiating delegation that returned from Doha accused Hamas of violating the agreement. It said that the negotiating delegation explained to the mediators that Hamas's behavior could lead to escalation and jeopardize the continuation of the agreement.

However, the families of the Israeli prisoners appealed to the mediators to intervene immediately to reach an immediate and effective solution that would restore the implementation of the agreement, and demanded that the government refrain from any measures that would affect the implementation of the agreement.

Disavowal and manipulation

A few days ago, the head of the government media office in Gaza, Salama Maarouf, said that the Israeli occupation is not leaving any opportunity to evade the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, stressing that it is manipulating the priorities of the humanitarian protocol.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Marouf denied that any mobile homes had entered the Gaza Strip, revealing that only 4% of the Palestinian Strip’s needs for tents had entered.

Marouf stressed that the occupation is manipulating priorities despite Palestinian demands regarding specific types and quantities of urgent shelter, noting that it wants to make life miserable for the Palestinians after 15 months of suffering, killing, destruction and sabotage.

At the end of last month, sources revealed to Al Jazeera that the relief protocol stipulates that aid providers include the United Nations, international organizations, and non-governmental bodies, and that aid will enter at a rate of 600 trucks per day, along with the entry of civil defense equipment and infrastructure maintenance.

The sources told Al Jazeera that the humanitarian protocol calls for the entry of 60,000 caravans and 200,000 tents into Gaza to accommodate the displaced, and stipulates that the aid includes relief supplies and humanitarian equipment from governments and international organizations.

(Al Jazeera)