Hamas' threat to delay the next release of Israeli hostages raises fears
for Gaza ceasefire
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[February 11, 2025]
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas' threat to delay the next planned release of
Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip has jolted a fragile ceasefire
that’s seen as having the potential to wind down the war.
It has brought new dismay for Israelis who watched the latest Hamas
handover of hostages in growing horror over the weekend as the three
emaciated men came into sight. Of the 17 hostages yet to be released
from Gaza under this phase of the ceasefire, Israel has said eight are
dead.
The next handover of three hostages had been scheduled for Saturday, and
families say time is running out for those still alive. Israel now
awaits what comes from a security Cabinet meeting Tuesday morning, moved
up in response to Monday's Hamas announcement.
The developments also have led to new fear in Gaza, where hundreds of
thousands of displaced Palestinians have surged to what remains of their
homes in the territory’s north after fleeing in the war’s earliest
weeks.
The uncertainty, just over halfway into the ceasefire’s six-week first
phase, complicates talks on the far more difficult phase. It also
jeopardizes the pause in the devastating fighting and the increase in
humanitarian aid for Gaza that it has made possible.
Already, there had been concerns that the war would resume at the end of
the first phase in early March.
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What happened?
Hamas accused Israel of not holding up its end of the deal by initially
delaying the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza over an earlier
dispute, carrying out strikes across the territory and hindering the
entry of humanitarian aid.
The militant group, which quickly reasserted control over Gaza when the
ceasefire began on Jan. 19, said the next hostage release would be
delayed “until further notice.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the delay “a complete
violation” of the ceasefire agreement, and he instructed the military to
be on highest alert. The prime minister’s coordinator for hostages said
the government intends to live up to its end of the deal.
A later Hamas statement called the postponement a “warning signal” to
Israel and noted that five days remained for mediators – the United
States, Qatar and Egypt -- to pressure Israel to act. “The door remains
open for the exchange to proceed as planned if Israel abides by its
obligations," it said.
There was no immediate public reaction from mediators.
What’s Trump saying?
The Hamas announcement came as U.S. President Donald Trump pressed
further on his stunning proposal to remove the Palestinian population
from devastated Gaza and have the U.S. take “ownership” of the
territory. He told Fox News on Sunday that the Palestinians would not
have the right to return.
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Relatives of hostages, held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, block a
highway in Tel Aviv, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 after the militant group
announced it would delay hostage releases in the Gaza Strip after
accusing Israel of violating a fragile ceasefire. (AP Photo/Ohad
Zwigenberg)
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That deepened the shock among Palestinians, who live with the
history of fleeing or being forced from their homes in what is now
Israel during the 1948 war. And it brought new condemnation from
Arab nations that have long pressed for an independent Palestinian
state.
Trump’s comments contradicted some of his own administration
officials who had said the president was only calling for the
Palestinians’ temporary relocation.
The Hamas statements on Monday made no mention of Trump’s proposal,
which they have rejected multiple times.
Who and what is at stake?
In immediate limbo is the planned release on Saturday of three more
Israeli hostages, along with dozens more Palestinian prisoners from
Israeli custody.
Such exchanges – five so far in a gradual release of 33 hostages –
have been sometimes tense and chaotic acts of trust that have
gradually pushed the ceasefire forward, allowing its other measures
to fall into place.
But the latest release brought home like no other the bleak and
dangerous conditions for those still held in Gaza.
Relatives of the newly released hostages, at times sobbing, have
described people being chained or held underground for months and
eating half a piece of pita per day. Freed hostages have described
going months without showering.
The accounts have put furious new pressure on Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to begin the delayed talks on the
ceasefire’s second phase, which is meant to see more hostages
released and bring a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
“The hostages are in a clear and present danger. Their lives are at
risk,” a doctor working with families of hostages, Hagai Levine,
warned Monday. “Delaying their release means that some of them will
not survive.”
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