The military wing of Hamas announced today, Saturday, that it has decided to delay the release of the second batch of hostages until Israel commits to allowing aid trucks to enter northern Gaza. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades stated, "The release of the second batch of prisoners has been delayed until the occupation adheres to the terms of the agreement related to the entry of relief trucks into the northern sector."
They added that the process of releasing the hostages will be postponed if Israel does not comply with the agreed criteria for the release of Palestinian prisoners. Hamas leader Osama Hamdan confirmed that "the Qassam has decided to suspend the release of the second batch of prisoners due to violations committed by the occupation regarding the implementation of the truce terms, some of which occurred yesterday and were repeated today, including violations concerning the entry of trucks in addition to gunfire against Palestinians and martyrdoms. Currently, there are communications through mediators to address and end these violations."
However, he affirmed that Hamas is committed to successfully completing the agreement. Hebrew media outlets reported that Israel responded with a message to Hamas warning them "of the necessity to proceed with the second batch related to the release of hostages by midnight, and if they do not do so, Israel will return to fighting."
