The UN chief has called on Hamas to proceed with planned releases of Israeli hostages, after the Palestinian militants threatened to postpone further hostage-prisoner exchanges agreed under a fragile Gaza ceasefire.
On Monday, Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said the next hostage release due to take place on Saturday would be “postponed until further notice”.
However, Antonio Guterres on X, appealed to Hamas to proceed with the planned liberation of hostages”.
The ceasefire that went into effect on January 19 largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in the Gaza Strip and saw five groups of Israeli hostages freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli custody.