According to the reports on Monday (24 February), Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi stated that the group will not engage in further ceasefire discussions until Israel releases 620 Palestinian prisoners who were scheduled for release on Saturday (22 February). Hamas views Israel’s delay as a violation of the ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement. Meanwhile, Israeli tanks have entered the occupied West Bank for the first time in over 20 years, forcing 40,000 Palestinians to flee refugee camps in the north.
The Israeli military expanded its offensive in the northern West Bank, with Defense Minister Israel Katz ordering intensified operations in all refugee camps. Palestinians see the deadly raids as part of an effort to tighten Israeli control over the territory, where three million Palestinians live under military rule. The Israeli government argues that the operations are necessary to eliminate militant threats following a rise in attacks.
The White House has backed Israel’s decision to delay the prisoner release, with National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes stating that President Donald Trump supports Israel in any course of action it takes against Hamas. The delay in prisoner releases has further strained the fragile ceasefire, which was originally agreed upon to halt Israel’s deadly military campaign in Gaza.
International bodies have condemned Israel’s actions, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on Gaza, where more than 48,300 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, leaving the enclave in devastation.
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