Hamas warns Israel that strikes could threaten cease-fire deal
Hamas warned Israel that the ongoing airstrikes in Gaza could kill the remaining captives before the break-through cease-fire and hostage exchange deal even begins.
The terror group’s military wing said the recent strikes in Gaza, which Hamas officials claim killed 77 people overnight Wednesday, threaten the freedom of the 97 hostages remaining in captivity.
“Any aggression and shelling at this stage by the enemy could turn the freedom of a prisoner into a tragedy,” Hamas officials said in a statement.
The official cease-fire, which is scheduled to be approved by Israel on Friday or Saturday, is expected to be implemented on Sunday, with the Jewish state continuing to bombard suspected Hamas terror sites until then.
Just hours after the breakthrough deal was announced on Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes across the Palestinian enclave killed at least 77 people, according to Hamas officials, who do not differentiate between terrorists and civilians.
Despite the statement from the military branch, Hamas’ political officials say the group is committed to pushing the cease-fire deal through and ending the war in Gaza.
The deal hit a “last-minute crisis” on Thursday following Hamas’ alleged ploy to include more conditions in the eleventh hour, as well as infighting inside Israel’s government.
The issues, however, were quickly resolved, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stating that he was “fully” confident that the cease-fire would commence on Sunday.
That would mark the beginning of a 42-day truce between Hamas and Israel after more than 15 months at war, with the first day seeing the immediate release of three hostages.
The initial truce would see a total of 33 hostages freed, including the women, children and elderly or sick men. In exchange, the Jewish state is expected to free hundreds of prisoners from Israeli jails.
Israel and Hamas are expected to continue negotiating the terms of the deal throughout the 42-day cease-fire, with the goal of freeing all hostages and ending the war in Gaza.
