Al-Qassam Brigades announce they will not release hostages
It had been announced that a mutual prisoner exchange would begin on Thursday as part of an agreement reached between Israel and Hamas. While the parties initially kept their word, a new statement has come from the Al-Qassam Brigades.
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The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that they have postponed the release of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip until Israel complies with the terms of the agreement regarding the release of prisoners and the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into northern Gaza.
According to a statement made on Hamas's Telegram account, the Al-Qassam Brigades postponed the transfer of the Israeli hostages scheduled to be released on the second day of the agreement, citing Tel Aviv's violation of the deal.
The statement included the following: "We have postponed the release of the second group of hostages until Israel complies with the terms of the agreement regarding the release of prisoners and the entry of humanitarian aid into northern Gaza."
This statement came after reports from Al-Aqsa Radio, which is close to Hamas, claiming that "the Al-Qassam Brigades have begun handing over the Israeli hostages to be released under the prisoner exchange deal to International Committee of the Red Cross officials in Gaza."
Israel's Channel 12 television had reported earlier in the day that Israeli officials cited "technical" problems regarding the progress of the prisoner exchange.