A senior representative of the Palestinian movement “Hamas“ Bassem Naim said that the delay by Israel in the release of about 600 Palestinian prisoners constitutes a “serious violation“ of the ceasefire agreement, BTA reports.
According to him, negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire are impossible until these prisoners are returned, the Associated Press reported.
In a written statement, Naim stressed that “Hamas“ has fully adhered to the agreements and that Israel's actions "endanger the agreement and could lead to a renewal of war."
The first phase of the ceasefire is scheduled to end on Saturday, but negotiations for the next stage, which were supposed to begin weeks ago, have not yet started.
Meanwhile, a senior US diplomat will visit the region this week in the hope of extending the first phase of the ceasefire, which would provide additional time for negotiations.