Hamas official says Netanyahu ‘intentionally sabotaging’ Gaza ceasefire | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Basem Naim says Israel must release 620 Palestinian prisoners as planned if ceasefire talks are to continue.

A Hamas official has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “intentionally sabotaging” the Gaza ceasefire deal after Israel postponed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday, Basem Naim said Hamas would not engage in further ceasefire talks until Israel releases the 620 Palestinian prisoners who were meant to be freed on Saturday.

“Before going to the next step, we have to be sure that the past step, which was releasing 620 prisoners, are already released,” said Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau.

“Netanyahu is clearly sending strong messages that he is intentionally sabotaging the deal, he is preparing the atmosphere for returning back to the war.”

Israel announced on Sunday that it had decided to delay the release of Palestinian prisoners who were set to be freed a day earlier in exchange for six Israeli captives held in Gaza.

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said the move came in response to captive release ceremonies held by Hamas “that humiliate our hostages” as well as “the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes”.

Israel and Hamas have conducted a series of captive-for-prisoner exchanges since a ceasefire deal came into effect in the Gaza Strip last month.

While mediators have urged both sides to continue negotiations to reach the second phase of the agreement, observers have questioned whether Netanyahu is willing to advance to that next stage.

Meron Rapoport, an editor at the Israeli news outlet Local Call, told Al Jazeera on Monday that Netanyahu intends to resume the Israeli war on Gaza but is likely to face strong opposition from the Israeli public.

“The expectation from the families of the hostages [who remain in Gaza] is that all the hostages should be released,” Rapoport said.

Hamas is expected to release the bodies of four Israeli captives later this week as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Asked about that, as well as the future of the deal itself, Naim told Al Jazeera that “all options are on the table”.

“What are the guarantees that [Netanyahu] might take the other four bodies and again not release the agreed-upon number of Palestinians plus the 620 Palestinians?” the Hamas official asked.

“All options are on the table, not only what should happen on Thursday but even the other elements of the deal.”