Basem Naim says Israel should launch 620 Palestinian prisoners as deliberate if ceasefire talks are to proceed.
A Hamas official has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “deliberately sabotaging” the Gaza ceasefire deal after Israel postponed the discharge of a whole bunch of Palestinian prisoners.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday, Basem Naim stated Hamas wouldn’t have interaction in additional ceasefire talks till Israel releases the 620 Palestinian prisoners who have been meant to be freed on Saturday.
“Earlier than going to the following step, we’ve to make certain that the previous step, which was releasing 620 prisoners, are already launched,” stated Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau.
“Netanyahu is clearly sending robust messages that he’s deliberately sabotaging the deal, he’s making ready the environment for returning again to the warfare.”
Israel introduced on Sunday that it had determined to delay the discharge of Palestinian prisoners who have been set to be freed a day earlier in alternate for six Israeli captives held in Gaza.
In an announcement, Netanyahu’s workplace stated the transfer got here in response to captive launch ceremonies held by Hamas “that humiliate our hostages” in addition to “the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda functions”.
Israel and Hamas have performed a sequence of captive-for-prisoner exchanges since a ceasefire deal got here into impact within the Gaza Strip final month.
Whereas mediators have urged either side to proceed negotiations to succeed in the second part of the settlement, observers have questioned whether or not Netanyahu is prepared to advance to that subsequent stage.
Meron Rapoport, an editor on the Israeli information outlet Native Name, instructed Al Jazeera on Monday that Netanyahu intends to renew the Israeli warfare on Gaza however is prone to face robust opposition from the Israeli public.
“The expectation from the households of the hostages [who remain in Gaza] is that every one the hostages needs to be launched,” Rapoport stated.
Hamas is anticipated to launch the our bodies of 4 Israeli captives later this week as a part of the ceasefire settlement.
Requested about that, in addition to the way forward for the deal itself, Naim instructed Al Jazeera that “all choices are on the desk”.
“What are the ensures that [Netanyahu] would possibly take the opposite 4 our bodies and once more not launch the agreed-upon variety of Palestinians plus the 620 Palestinians?” the Hamas official requested.
“All choices are on the desk, not solely what ought to occur on Thursday however even the opposite parts of the deal.”
