GAZA CITY: The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas said Thursday it remained committed to its fragile ceasefire with Israel, even after the first phase drew to a close at the weekend.
“Despite all the enemy’s attempts at evasion, lies and deception... we preferred and still prefer to adhere to the agreement in order to spare the blood of our people,” Abu Obaida, spokesman for the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a video statement.
The first phase of the fragile truce, which largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, drew to a close at the weekend after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted that the second phase go ahead as planned.
Israel has ramped up its rhetoric and halted the flow of goods and supplies into Gaza.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump warned the people of Gaza that they would be “DEAD” unless all the remaining hostages were released.
Hamas has said Trump’s comments will encourage Israel to ignore the terms of the ceasefire.
Abu Obaida warned against any escalation.
“We warn the families of the (hostages) that until today we have proof of life for those who remain alive among the prisoners,” the spokesman said.
“Any escalation of aggression against our people will likely lead to the death of some enemy prisoners, as has happened in many cases in the past.”
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israeli towns and military bases, 58 remain in captivity, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, while Israel’s retaliation in Gaza has killed at least 48,446 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the two sides.