Gaza - Saba:
The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, affirmed that what is required is to enter into the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, "not to establish new and side agreements."
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a press statement on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "evaded" the requirements of the second phase of the ceasefire.
Qassem continued: "Implementing the agreement in its various phases guarantees the objectives, while the language of threats does not produce anything positive. Rather, it complicates matters and does not serve the achievement of the agreement's objectives."
He noted that the "right path" to achieving the agreement's objectives—sustained calm and the release of prisoners—lies primarily in implementing what was previously agreed upon and signed by all parties.
The Hamas spokesman explained that the US administration had presented a framework for the agreement (which entered into force on January 19, 2025), and that mediators, including Witkoff, had worked to implement it.
He concluded his remarks by noting that the "American framework" guarantees a "sequential" process that includes the release of all prisoners, living and dead, "leading to the achievement of sustainable calm."
On January 19, 2025, a ceasefire agreement for Gaza and a prisoner exchange went into effect. It consists of three phases, each lasting 42 days, during which negotiations will begin for the second and third phases, leading to an end to the war of extermination.