On the second day of a four-day ceasefire, the Palestinian freedom-seeking organization Hamas has accused Israel of violating the agreement. The governing body of Gaza in Palestine, Hamas, stated that due to Israel’s failure to adhere to the terms, they have postponed the release of those individuals whose freedom was supposed to be granted on the second day, Saturday.
According to the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas had agreed to release 14 Israeli captives on Saturday. In return, Israel was supposed to release 39 to 42 Palestinian prisoners held in its jails.
The military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, announced on Saturday that Israel has violated the ceasefire terms by hindering the electoral process for the released Palestinians and adding additional conditions. This delay is causing a setback in the process of releasing individual prisoners.
However, Israel denies the allegations made by Hamas, stating that they have not violated the terms of the agreement. At the same time, Israel has issued a warning to dismantle Hamas at the end of this ceasefire.
This development has sparked tensions between Hamas and Israel on the second day of the ceasefire. The ceasefire, effective for four days, began on Friday. According to the agreement, on this day, Hamas released 13 Israelis, all of whom were women and children. Additionally, on Friday, Hamas also released 11 foreigners, including 10 Thai nationals and 1 Filipino.
While the agreement on Friday included the release of 13 Israelis, Hamas, on its own initiative, released an additional 11 foreigners as a gesture of goodwill. On the same day, 39 Palestinian women and children who were in Israeli custody were also released as per the ceasefire terms, which stipulate that for every individual released by Israel, three prisoners should be released in return.
