Jerusalem — Israel has ordered its military to prepare for “any possible scenario in the Gaza Strip” after Hamas announced on Monday a postponement of the scheduled hostage release.
In a statement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned Hamas’s decision, calling it “a complete violation of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.” Katz instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to “maintain the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to defend communities near the enclave.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting with ministers and security officials to assess the situation, according to reports from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Earlier, Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, stated that over the past weeks, Israel has failed to comply with the terms of the ceasefire agreement. He cited delays in allowing displaced people to return to northern Gaza, targeting civilians with shelling and gunfire, and not providing agreed-upon relief supplies.
“Accordingly, the handover of the hostages will be postponed until further notice and until Israel ensures adherence to the deal,” Obeida said. “We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them.”
Israel’s Hostages, Missing Persons and Returnees Directorate responded, emphasizing that Israel “insists on the full implementation of the agreement as written and views any violation with the utmost seriousness.”
These developments follow the return of an Israeli delegation from Qatar, where indirect talks were held regarding the next phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Under the current ceasefire, which recently took effect, 21 hostages—16 Israelis and five Thais—were released from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees from Israeli jails. During the first phase of the agreement, spanning six weeks, 33 Israeli hostages and about 2,000 Palestinian detainees are expected to be released.
