Hamas delays release of more Israeli hostages on Saturday
Hamas has said it will delay the release of more hostages after accusing Israel of violating their ceasefire deal.
It said Saturday’s planned handover would not go ahead, presenting the Gaza truce with its first major crisis.
A spokesman claimed violations had included “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, and targeting them with shelling and gunfire”.
Trump latest: President says Palestinians will have no right to Gaza return
Abu Obeida said Hamas remained committed if Israel kept to the terms, but that the 15 February handover was postponed “until the occupation commits to and compensates for the past weeks retroactively”.
The last release of hostages was at the weekend, when three Israeli men and five Thai men were freed.
They were among about 250 people originally taken during the October 2023 terror attack that killed around 1,200 people.
The hostage deal began last month and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners have been released in exchange. There’s also been a crucial truce in the Gaza War.
Five swaps have taken place so far, with 21 hostages set free by Hamas after 16 months in captivity.
Saturday’s swap was due to see three more Israelis and hundreds of Palestinians released.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will bring forward an assessment with his security cabinet to today, according to an Israeli official.
Defence minister Israel Katz said any delay would be “a complete violation” and he had instructed troops to be on highest alert.
The Hostages and Missing Family Forum called on mediating countries to restore the deal, saying “time is of the essence” and citing “the shocking conditions of the hostages released last Saturday”.
The potential delay comes as President Trump reiterated his controversial proposal for the US to take over and rebuild Gaza, adding that Palestinians forced out would have no right to return.
He said he was committed to “buying and owning” the enclave.
Arab countries would agree to take in Palestinians after speaking with him, Mr Trump said, adding that its residents would leave if they had a choice.
“They don’t want to return to Gaza. If we could give them a home in a safer area – the only reason they’re talking about returning to Gaza is they don’t have an alternative,” he said.
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‘I would own this’ – Trump on Gaza
On Sunday, Israeli forces also pulled back from a key passage through Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal.
The four-mile-long Netzarim corridor separates northern Gaza from the south, and hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have now crossed back over.
However, Israel pushed back its withdrawal a few days in protest at the chaotic release of hostages Arbel Yehud and Gadi Moses.
This may be what Hamas is referencing what it talks of “delaying the return of the displaced”.
There have also been examples of Israeli troops shooting at or near Palestinians approaching Israeli forces after being warned to stay back.
The hard-won ceasefire deal took effect on 19 January and is in its first 42-day phase – but so far little progress has been made on an extension.
A delegation from Israel has arrived in Qatar for further talks amid concern it might collapse before all remaining hostages are freed.
Israel has previously said it will not agree to a complete withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas’s military and political capabilities are eliminated.
Hamas has countered that it will not hand over the final hostages until Israel removes all its troops from Gaza.
The fast-moving developments on Trump’s Ukraine peace deal are dominating the G20 summit in South Africa, as European leaders scramble to put together a counter-proposal to the US-Russia 28-point plan and reinsert Ukraine into these discussions.
European countries are now working up proposals to put to President Trump ahead of his deadline of Thursday to agree a deal.
Ukraine is in a tight spot. It cannot reject Washington outright – it relies on US military support to continue this war – but neither can it accept the terms of a deal that is acutely favourable to Russia, requiring Ukraine to give up territory not even occupied by Moscow and reducing its army.
Overnight, the UK government has reiterated its position that any deal must deliver a “just and lasting peace”.
Ukraine war latest: Kyiv to discuss ending war in talks in Switzerland
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Keir Starmer calls for growth plan at G20
The prime minister, who spoke with E3 allies President Macron of France, Chancellor Merz of Germany and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine on the phone on Friday, is having more conversations today with key partners as they work out how to handle Trump and improve this deal for Ukraine.
One diplomatic source told me allies are being very careful not to criticise Trump or his approach for fear of exacerbating an already delicate situation.
Instead, the prime minister is directing his attacks at Russia.
Read more:
Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan in full
Analysis: We could all pay if Europe doesn’t guarantee Ukraine’s security
Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a plenary session on the first day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. Pic: Reuters
“There is only one country around the G20 table that is not calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine and one country that is deploying a barrage of drones and missiles to destroy livelihoods and murder innocent civilians,” he said on Friday evening.
“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but its actions never live up to its words.”
Pic: AP
On the Trump plan, the prime minister said allies are meetin on Saturday “to discuss the current proposal on the table, and in support of Trump’s push for peace, look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations”.
Strengthening the plan really means that they want to rebalance it towards Ukraine’s position and make it tougher on Russia.
“Ukraine has been ready to negotiate for months, while Russia has stalled and continued its murderous rampage. That is why we must all work together with both the US and Ukraine, to secure a just and lasting peace once and for all,” said the prime minister.
“We will continue to coordinate closely with Washington and Kyiv to achieve that. However, we cannot simply wait for peace.
“We must strain every sinew to secure it. We must cut off Putin’s finance flows by ending our reliance on Russian gas. It won’t be easy, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Pic: AP
Europeans hadn’t even seen this deal earlier in the week, in a sign that the US is cutting other allies out of negotiations – for now at least.
Starmer and other European leaders want to get to a position where Ukraine and Europe are at least at the table.
There is some discussion about whether European leaders such as Macron and Meloni might travel to Washington to speak to Trump early next week in order to persuade him of the European and Ukrainian perspective, as leaders did last August following the US-Russian summit in Alaska.
But Sky News understands there are no discussions about the PM travelling to Washington next week ahead of the budget.
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