Agencies + «EPA»
On Sunday, a White House statement confirmed the United States’ support for Israel’s decision to postpone the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners.
On the Saturday, Hamas released 6 Israeli hostages as it was planned, while Israel was supposed to release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners in the seventh round of exchange under the armistice agreement.
However, Israel decided to postpone the release of the Palestinians, so that the hostage was released “without a humiliating ceremony,” according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening.
On Sunday night, a Hamas leader said that the movement will not hold talks with Israel through intermediaries on any other steps in the ceasefire agreement, unless Palestinian prisoners were released as agreed.
“There will be no conversation with the enemy through the mediators in any step before the release of the prisoners agreed to release them in exchange for the six Israeli prisoners.”
The truce came into effect on January 19, more than 15 months after the start of the war that destroyed the Gaza Strip, and the first stage of which will end on the first of March.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israel is ready to resume fighting in the Gaza Strip “at any moment”, pledging to achieve the goals of the war “, whether through negotiations or by other means.
