Hamas slams Israeli extension of Gaza ceasefire’s phase one as ‘attempt to evade agreement’

CAIRO – 2 March 2025: Israel on Sunday endorsed a US proposal for a temporary extension of the ceasefire in Gaza, covering the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Jewish Pesach holiday. Hamas said the move aims to evade commitment to the agreement.

The extension comes shortly after the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which took effect on 19 January and halted a war that devastated the enclave and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians since 2023, expired on Saturday.

The extension plan is based on a proposal by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

It includes the release of half of the captives still held by Hamas, both alive and deceased, on the first day of the ceasefire.

The remaining captives will be freed contingent upon reaching a permanent ceasefire agreement, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Under the first phase of the agreement, Hamas released 30 living captives taken from Israel, most of whom were captured during the October 2023 attack, including Israelis and Thai nationals.

Hamas also returned the bodies of eight Israeli captives it asserts were killed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza.

In exchange, Israel has released about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including many detained during the war, along with others who were serving life sentences.

The second phase of the agreement aims to establish a permanent cessation of war, ensure a full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and facilitate the release of dozens of captives still held in Gaza.

Hamas stated on Saturday that Israel is attempting to evade its commitment to ending the war in Gaza through its current proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire agreement#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/rOxCShdYMk

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) March 2, 2025

EVADING AGREEMENT

In a statement today, Hamas warned that the extension of the first phase constitutes “a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering negotiations for its second phase.”

Hamas repeatedly called for the immediate implementation of the second phase, vowing to release all remaining captives still held in Gaza in one go in exchange for a permanent end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Israel, however, has delayed any final agreement regarding the future of Gaza.

Hamas on Sunday accused Netanyahu of “seeking to overturn the signed agreement to serve his narrow internal political calculations, at the expense of the captives of the occupation in Gaza and their lives.”

Hamas warned the Israeli government of “any act of folly” they may commit by overturning the agreement, “including the humanitarian repercussions regarding the captives.”

The movement emphasized that adherence to the agreement and immediate engagement in the second phase represent the “only way” for Israel to return the captives.

Furthermore, Hamas slammed a Sunday decision by Netanyahu to halt humanitarian assistance to Gaza after the expiry of phase one of the agreement.

The movement said the step represents “cheap extortion, a war crime, and a blatant breach of the agreement.”

Hamas urged the mediators and the international community to pressure Israel to stop its “punitive and unethical measures against more than two million people in the Gaza Strip.”

The war in Gaza, one of the bloodiest of the century, saw Israeli forces killing more than 48,300 Palestinians, injuring more than 111,800 more and devastating the enclave.

The war was triggered by an attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, when Al Qassam fighters stormed Israeli cities near Gaza and captured more than 250 Israelis and other foreign nationals.