Hamas Warns Gaza Ceasefire at Risk Amid Israel’s Failure to Fulfill Commitments
A senior Hamas official has cautioned that the fragile ceasefire in Gaza is vulnerable to collapse, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday. The militant group has accused Israel of not honoring its commitments under the truce that ended intense fighting in the Palestinian enclave nearly three weeks ago.
The ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, is designed to unfold in three phases. In the initial stage, Hamas was expected to release 33 hostages, including children, women soldiers, wounded individuals, and the sick, in exchange for 1,904 Palestinians held captive by Israeli authorities.
On Saturday, Hamas released three Israeli captives it had been holding in Gaza, while Israel freed 183 Palestinian detainees from its prisons. The emaciated appearance of the released Israeli hostages was described as shocking by West Jerusalem officials.
Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, emphasized that the group does not aspire to resume fighting but warned that Israel’s actions could jeopardize the truce. “Returning to war is certainly not our wish nor our decision,” he stated, adding that Israel’s “procrastination and lack of commitment in implementing the first phase… certainly exposes this agreement to danger and thus it may stop or collapse.”
Naim also urged Arab countries not to recognize Israel, stating, “We call on all Arab countries, both those currently normalizing and those considering normalization, to step back from this.”
The US has long attempted to persuade Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel. In his inaugural address, Trump expressed a desire for official relations between the two nations, referencing the Abraham Accords. The US-brokered deal, announced in 2020 during Trump’s first term, normalized Israel’s relations with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco. The agreements aimed to foster “friendly relations among states,” end “radicalization,” and promote a “culture of peace” through “interfaith and intercultural dialogue.”