Hamas accuses Israel of evading its obligations under Gaza ceasefire deal

Hamas yesterday accused Israel of evading its obligations under the Gaza ceasefire agreement, calling on mediators to start negotiations for a second phase of the deal, Anadolu agency reported.

Israel said early yesterday that it has agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza during the Muslim month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover, following a proposal by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

The move came as Tel Aviv halted the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave, hours after the expiry of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

“Netanyahu is trying to overturn the signed ceasefire agreement, to serve his narrow political calculations at the expense of the Israeli captives in Gaza,” Hamas said in a statement.

“This is a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering into negotiations for its second phase,” it added.

There was no announcement by the US envoy of the temporary ceasefire arrangement in Gaza.

The Palestinian group called Netanyahu’s decision to stop aid to Gaza “cheap blackmail, a war crime, and a blatant coup against the ceasefire agreement.”

READ: Israel’s Smotrich calls for ‘opening gates of hell’ on Gaza after halt of humanitarian aid

It dismissed Netanyahu’s accusation against Hamas that it had violated the Gaza deal as “baseless and misleading allegations aimed at covering up Israel’s daily and systematic breaches of the agreement.”

According to the group, over 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation army fire in Gaza since the ceasefire deal came into force on 19 January, in addition to blocking humanitarian aid and relief materials into the enclave.

Hamas urged mediators to pressure Israel “to fulfil its obligations under the agreement and implement the humanitarian protocol by allowing the entry of shelter materials and rescue equipment into Gaza.”

Israel has not agreed to move forward to the second phase of the ceasefire deal to bring an end to the war on Gaza.

Netanyahu had sought to extend the initial exchange phase to secure the release of as many Israeli captives as possible without offering anything in return or fulfilling the military and humanitarian obligations of the first phase of the deal.

Hamas has refused to proceed under these conditions, insisting that Israel abide by the terms of the agreement and immediately start negotiations for the second phase, which includes full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a complete halt to the war.

The ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which killed more than 48,380 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.