Following a recent threat from US President Donald Trump, Hamas has reaffirmed its stance that it will only release the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has called for a permanent ceasefire and Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, emphasizing that negotiations on the second phase, which aims to secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, offer the best path forward.
The group’s spokesperson on Thursday accused US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to backtrack on the ceasefire agreement reached in January.
This accusation came in response to Trump’s statement, which he described as a final warning, following a meeting with eight former hostages.
“Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!” Trump wrote on his social media handle.
For years, Israel and Hamas have used the remains of their foes as leverage in prisoner swap negotiations.
Hamas is believed to still have 24 living hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander.
The group released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire, which ended on Saturday.
Israel is backing a new US proposal for the second phase of a ceasefire agreement, which involves Hamas releasing half of the remaining hostages immediately and the rest once a permanent ceasefire is negotiated.
However, Hamas has rejected this proposal, insisting it will stick to the original agreement signed in January.
