Hamas delays release of more Israeli hostages

Hamas has said it will delay the further release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating a fragile ceasefire that now faces its most serious crisis since it began three weeks ago.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under heavy pressure to secure the release of the remaining hostages after last Saturday’s release, in which three Israelis came home emaciated after 16 months in Hamas captivity.

Hamas’s announcement to delay the next planned release of hostages came as Palestinians and the international community seethed over US President Donald Trump’s recent comments that Palestinians from Gaza would not have a right to return under his plan for “ownership” of the war-torn territory after helping to rebuild it.

In an effort to improve relations with the Trump administration, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday ended a controversial system that paid stipends to the families of Palestinian prisoners, including those convicted in deadly attacks on Israel.

The US and Israel have said the so-called “martyrs fund” rewarded violence against Israel.

Israel and Hamas are in the middle of a six-week ceasefire during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its attack on October 7 2023 in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners.

The next exchange, scheduled for Saturday, called for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

An Israeli official said Mr Netanyahu was consulting security officials after the Hamas announcement. The official said Mr Netanyahu also pushed forward a scheduled meeting of his Security Cabinet to Tuesday morning from later in the day.

Defence minister Israel Katz said Hamas’s plan do delay the next release of hostages was “a complete violation” of the ceasefire agreement and that he instructed the Israeli military to be on the highest level of alert.

The Prime Minister’s co-ordinator for hostages said all of the hostage families had been updated about Hamas’s announcement and that Israel “insists on fulfilling the agreement in its entirety”.

Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida said on social media that Israel has continued to obstruct key provisions of the ceasefire by not allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, carrying out strikes across the territory and failing to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid.

The Hostages and Missing Family Forum, which represents many of the hostage families, called on mediating countries to restore the existing deal.

“Recent evidence from those released, as well as the shocking conditions of the hostages released last Saturday, leaves no room for doubt — time is of the essence, and all hostages must be urgently rescued from this horrific situation,” the forum said.

Mr Trump made his latest comments about Gaza in an interview with Fox News set to air Monday, less than a week after he floated his plan for the US to take control of Gaza and turn it in to “the Riviera of the Middle East”.

He has also ramped up pressure on Arab states, especially US allies Jordan and Egypt, to take in Palestinians from Gaza, who claim the territory as part of a future homeland.

The ceasefire previously hit a snag when an Israeli female civilian held hostage was not released as early as planned, and Israel delayed the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza for two days. Negotiators were able to find a solution, and the hostage, Arbel Yahoud, was eventually released with two other hostages.

Under the new system announced by Mr Abbas, prisoners’ families will still be eligible for government assistance, but only depending on their financial needs. Previously, payments were determined based on the amount of time a prisoner had spent in prison.

The system will also be transferred from the Palestinian government to an outside foundation.

During Mr Trump’s first term, the US halted assistance to the Palestinian Authority because of the fund, while Israel has withheld hundreds of millions of dollars of tax transfers to the cash-strapped authority because of the policy.

A senior Palestinian official said the Palestinians have informed the Trump administration of the decision and hope the US legislation cutting assistance, known as the Taylor Force Act, will be rescinded and that Israel will unfreeze the transfers.