US President Donald Trump must respect the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas if he wants the release of the Israeli hostages. This was stated by a senior Hamas representative, Sami Abu Zuhri, to "Reuters", reports News.bg.
„Trump must remember that there is an agreement that both sides must respect. This is the only way for the captives to return. "The language of threats is worthless and only complicates matters," Abu Zuhri said.
His comments were in response to Trump's February 10 statement, in which he threatened to call off the ceasefire and "let all hell break loose" if all Israeli hostages held by Hamas were not released by Saturday.
The ceasefire agreement, brokered in January by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, provides for the gradual release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. However, Hamas has announced that it is postponing further releases until further notice, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire through continued airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Israel has categorically denied the accusations.
Additional tensions have been raised by Trump's proposal for the US to take control of Gaza, evict over 2 million Palestinians and turn the territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East".
Arab states have reacted sharply, with experts saying the forced displacement of a population under military occupation constitutes a war crime under the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Trump is expected to meet with Jordan's King Abdullah II, with the conversation likely to be tense. The US president has threatened to cut aid to Jordan if the country refuses to accept Palestinian refugees.