GAZA CITY: Hamas on Thursday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “procrastinating” on negotiations for the second phase of a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, after Palestinian returned the bodies of four deceased hostages to Israel.
“The second phase negotiations have not practically begun, and we are ready to engage in them as stipulated in the agreement,” Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said in a statement, adding that “Netanyahu is procrastinating regarding the second phase”.
The fragile truce took effect on January 19 after more than 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Palestinian group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Since the first phase of the ceasefire began, 19 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.
Three Israeli hostages released in Gaza as ceasefire holds
Thursday’s repatriation of hostage remains from Gaza is the first time Hamas has handed over bodies since the beginning of the truce, which has held despite accusations of violations on both sides.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Tuesday said talks would begin this week on the ceasefire’s second phase, aiming to lay out a more permanent end to the war.
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP on Wednesday that Hamas was ready to free all remaining hostages held in Gaza in a single swap during phase two.
Hamas and its allies took 251 people captive during their attack. Prior to Thursday’s handover, there were 70 hostages in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.
That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,319 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.
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