The Palestinian Islamist group "Hamas" criticized the threats of US President Donald Trump, who a day earlier issued a "final warning" to hand over all remaining hostages, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
"These threats complicate the process of reaching a ceasefire agreement and encourage the occupying power [Israel] to not comply with its obligations," Hamas said on its official Telegram channel.
In a post on its social platform Truth Social, Trump demanded: "Release all hostages now, not later, and immediately return all bodies of those killed, or you are finished." He also called on Hamas leaders to leave the Gaza Strip and warned the residents of the region to make a "smart decision" and release the hostages, otherwise they will "pay the price".
"Hamas", for its part, stated that it had fulfilled its obligations under the first phase of the agreement and called on the US to put pressure on Israel to achieve the second phase, which provides for the release of the hostages and a final end to the war in Gaza.
According to Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Kanua, "the best way to free the remaining Israeli hostages" is through phase two negotiations that were supposed to begin in early February, the Associated Press reported.
The truce reached in January called for a second phase of talks in which hostages would be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. However, only limited preparatory talks have been held on the subject so far.
According to Israeli authorities, "Hamas" is still holding 24 live hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as well as the bodies of 34 others killed during the attack or in captivity. The group also holds the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in 2014.
During the first phase of the ceasefire, which lasted 42 days, "Hamas" released 25 Israeli hostages and handed over the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. That phase ended on Saturday, and the fate of the remaining hostages remains unclear.