The Hamas militant group on Thursday brushed off President Donald Trump’s latest threat and reiterated that it will only free the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to back out of the ceasefire agreement they reached in January. The agreement calls for negotiations over a second phase in which the hostages would be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said the ābest path to free the remaining Israeli hostagesā is through negotiations on that phase, which were supposed to begin in early February. Only limited preparatory talks have been held so far.
On Wednesday, Trump issued what he said was a ālast warningā to Hamas after meeting with eight former hostages. The White House, meanwhile, confirmed it had held unprecedented direct talks with the militant group, which Israel and Western countries view as a terrorist organisation.