Israel has ordered its military to prepare for \"any possible scenario in the Gaza Strip\" following Hamas' announcement to postpone the handover of hostages originally scheduled for Saturday.
In a statement released by his office, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned Hamas' decision as \"a complete violation of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.\"
Katz further stated that he has instructed the Israel Defense Forces to \"prepare at the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to defend the communities near the enclave.\"
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convening a situation assessment meeting with key ministers and security officials, according to Israel's Ynet news site citing the Prime Minister's Office.
The postponement follows a statement from Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing. He claimed that over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has observed Israel's failures to adhere to the ceasefire agreement. These alleged breaches include delaying the return of displaced people to northern Gaza, targeting them with shelling and gunfire, and not supplying agreed-upon relief materials.
In response, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that the handover of hostages will remain postponed until Israel fully complies with the agreement and retroactively compensates for the previous weeks. Abu Obeida affirmed their commitment to the agreement's terms, contingent upon Israel's adherence.
Conversely, Israel's Hostages, Missing Persons and Returnees Directorate emphasized in a statement that Israel demands the complete implementation of the agreement as written and regards any violations with utmost seriousness.
These developments occur hours after an Israeli delegation returned from Qatar, where indirect talks were held to discuss the next phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The current ceasefire, effective since January 19 after 15 months of conflict, has seen the release of 21 hostages—16 Israelis and five Thais—from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees freed from Israeli jails. The first phase of the agreement, spanning six weeks, anticipates the release of 33 Israeli hostages and approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees.
