Israeli officials have admitted to The New York Times that Hamas’s claims about Israel violating the Gaza ceasefire are accurate.
The report, which cited three Israeli officials and two officials from mediating countries who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Israel agreed to let in hundreds of thousands of tents as part of the ceasefire deal, which hasn’t happened.
A few days before Hamas announced it was postponing the next hostage release scheduled for February 15, an official from Gaza’s Media Office said only 10% of the required tents had arrived. Israel has also not allowed mobile homes and heavy equipment to clear the rubble into Gaza.
Besides the blocking of promised aid, Israeli forces have also continued to kill Palestinians in Gaza. The Health Ministry said on Tuesday that since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19, Israeli forces have killed 92 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 822.
Dr. Munir al-Barash, the director of the Health Ministry, also said that since January 19, 24 Palestinians have died of previously sustained wounds, meaning the total number of Palestinians that have died in Gaza due to Israeli aggression is at least 118. He said in the same time period, 641 bodies have been recovered from the rubble, and 197 remain unidentified.
Hamas had stayed relatively quiet about the Israeli ceasefire violations until after repeated calls by President Trump for all of the Palestinians in Gaza, which he says is about 1.9 million people (pre-war population was about 2.3 million), to be removed from the territory permanently as part of his plan for the US to take it over.
In response to Hamas announcing it will postpone the next hostage release, Trump said if all the Israelis held in Gaza aren’t released by this Saturday, the ceasefire should be “canceled,” signaling he’s ready to back Israel if it restarts the genocidal war. Haaretz reported on Sunday that Netanyahu intends to sabotage the truce and not enter the second phase.
