Hamas accuses Netanyahu of undermining Gaza ceasefire deal for political gain

By Mohamed Majed and Mohammad Sio

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian resistance group Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday of obstructing the Gaza ceasefire agreement by attempting to introduce a roadmap that serves his political interests over the lives of Israeli hostages.

Netanyahu is “trying to derail the deal, imposing new conditions to benefit himself while disregarding the demands of captives’ families,” said Izat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, in a statement.

He added that the only path forward is adhering to the agreement’s terms and beginning negotiations for the second phase, warning that any delay is a “waste of time and a manipulation of the captives’ fate.”

Al-Rishq also condemned Israel’s decision to cut electricity to Gaza, calling it a continuation of its blockade on food, medicine and water in an attempt to pressure Palestinians through “cheap blackmail.”

He described the move, alongside border closures and restrictions on aid and fuel, as “collective punishment and a war crime.”

Israel's decision to cease electricity supplies, despite power already being cut since the genocide began in October 2023, was announced earlier Sunday by Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, according to Israel’s public broadcaster, KAN.

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese warned on X that the move amounts to a “genocide alert,” arguing that without electricity, there is no clean water.

She added that failing to impose sanctions or an arms embargo on Israel amounts to “aiding and assisting Israel in the commission of one of the most preventable genocides of our history.”

Israel stopped humanitarian aid from entering Gaza last Sunday, prompting warnings from local and human rights groups of a return to widespread hunger for the Palestinian population.

The first phase of the ceasefire deal, which lasted 42 days, ended in early March without Israel agreeing to move to the second phase or halt the war.

Netanyahu seeks to extend the first phase of the prisoner exchange to secure the release of more Israeli captives without fulfilling military or humanitarian obligations outlined in the agreement, appeasing hardliners in his government.

Hamas, however, rejects this approach and insists that Israel abide by the ceasefire terms, urging mediators to push for immediate negotiations on the second phase, which includes a full Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war.

The ceasefire deal has been in place since January, pausing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,450 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.