UN chief calls on Hamas to continue releasing hostages

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on the parties to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to resume peace talks and on the radical Palestinian movement Hamas to continue the process of releasing hostages.

In a post on X, Guterres called for refraining from resuming clashes in Gaza, Caliber.Az reports.

“We must avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to immense tragedy. I appeal to Hamas to proceed with the planned liberation of hostages. Both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement & resume serious negotiations,” he wrote. 

On February 10, Hamas announced that it would indefinitely halt the release of Israeli hostages, citing alleged Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. This decision has cast doubt on the continuation of the truce and the future of prisoner exchanges. In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the military to maintain the highest level of readiness in Gaza and for domestic defence.

The ceasefire, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, had facilitated the exchange of hostages and prisoners over the past three weeks. However, both parties now accuse each other of breaching the agreement. Hamas alleges that Israel has delayed the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza, conducted shelling, fired upon civilians, and obstructed humanitarian aid. Conversely, Israel contends that Hamas has not adhered to the predetermined order of hostage releases and has exploited public handovers for propaganda purposes.

In light of these developments, an Israeli delegation that had been in Doha for ceasefire discussions has returned for internal consultations. The Prime Minister's Office described the negotiations as significant but did not provide further details. A Palestinian official involved in the talks noted that progress is being hindered by mutual mistrust, with each side accusing the other of violating the ceasefire terms.

By Khagan Isayev