By Tom O'Connor
Deputy Editor, National Security and Foreign Policy
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Hamas has accused Israel of violating their three-week ceasefire agreement 269 times as the Palestinian group faces renewed pressure from President Donald Trump to move forward with the release of hostages.
In a report shared with Newsweek by a senior leader of the group on Tuesday, Hamas claimed that Israeli operations since the deal that was entered implementation last month have resulted in 26 deaths, 59 injuries, 105 aircraft violations, 36 gunfire violations, 29 ground incursions, nine instances of "bombardment" and the detention of five Palestinians drivers and fishermen.
Hamas provided an even higher figure of 92 Palestinians killed and 822 wounded since the ceasefire agreement began on January 19 in a separate statement.
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The Hamas report also alleged that Israel had delayed by six hours the third release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Hamas-held hostages and had "forcibly deported" them to Gaza "without coordination and confirmation of their wishes." Israel also restricted family members, including those from the West Bank, from visiting the freed detainees and delayed providing a list of 400 Palestinian prisoners, according to the report.
Hamas went on to further accuse Israel of providing less than half of the agreed fuel into Gaza and only about a quarter of the tents outlined in their deal. The group alleged that Israel failed to permit the entry of other forms of needed supplies and assistance.
The group also cited Trump's proposal to remove the entire population of Gaza and tacit support from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in arguing that the two nations were not committed to carrying out the second and third phases of the ceasefire that would put a lasting end to the war.
Among the "political violations" listed in the report were "continued political statements by [the] Israeli Prime Minister and ministers openly calling for the expulsion of Gaza's population, sending a clear message that the occupation does not wish to honor the agreement and aims to implement Trump's plan to displace Gaza's residents." The document claimed Israel had pursued a "deliberate delay in the second phase and the introduction of impossible conditions."
Newsweek has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.
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Why It Matters
The Hamas report follows the first major setback for what Trump hailed as an "epic deal" shortly before taking office last month. After the release of three Israeli hostages in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners marked the fifth swap in line with the deal, the spokesperson for Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades military wing, Abu Obeida, announced that the next handover scheduled for this upcoming Saturday "will be postponed until further notice" due to alleged Israeli violations.
The news drew a sharp reaction from Trump, who warned that "all hell is going to break out" if all remaining hostages were not freed by Saturday at 12 p.m.
Netanyahu also threatened to tear up the deal if this deadline was passed without the release of further hostages, warning that "the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated."
With the IDF mobilizing troops within and around Gaza in preparation for a return to open hostilities under Netanyahu's orders, the fate of the ceasefire hands precariously in the balance.
What to Know
The deadliest and lengthiest-ever explosion of violence in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and allied factions led a surprise attack on Israel. The conflict would spread to multiple fronts, with Iran and allies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen also entering the fray in support of Hamas.
Last May, then-President Joe Biden outlined a three-phase proposal to end the conflict. Both sides initially agreed to the terms, but negotiations repeatedly collapsed throughout last year, only gaining momentum in the final weeks of 2024 as Trump, having won the November election, threatened "all hell will break loose" if an agreement was not solidified before his inauguration.
After deploying his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to the talks, Trump took credit for the breakthrough that occurred shortly before he took charge of the White House for the second time. Since then, the president has focused most frequently on the real estate potential for the war-torn territory and has repeatedly suggested that its roughly 2 million residents be transferred elsewhere in order to pursue development opportunities.
Israeli officials have voiced support for the idea and Netanyahu, who has consistently vowed to continue the war until Hamas is entirely defeated, has endorsed Trump's calls for the U.S. to assume direct control of Gaza.
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What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Monday: "As far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 o'clock — I think it's an appropriate time — I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out.
"And if they're not returned, all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two, and one, and three, and four and two. Saturday at 12 o'clock. And after that, I would say all hell is going to break out."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in video remarks on Tuesday: "In light of Hamas' announcement regarding its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I instructed the IDF to amass forces inside – and surrounding – the Gaza Strip. This action is being carried out at this hour and will be completed very soon.
"The unanimous decision that I passed in the Cabinet is as follows: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas."
Hamas in a statement published Tuesday: "We reaffirm our categorical rejection of the statements by US President Donald Trump on the displacement of our people from the Gaza Strip under the pretext of reconstruction. Trump's statements are racist and a call for ethnic cleansing, aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause and denying the national rights of our people."
"The plan to displace our people from Gaza will not succeed, and will be confronted with a unified Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic stance that rejects all displacement plans. Our great people in Gaza have firmly stood in the face of the bombing and aggression, will remain steadfast in their land, and will thwart all plans of displacement and forced deportation. What the occupation has failed to achieve through aggression and massacres, it will not succeed in accomplishing through liquidation and displacement plans."
"The Hamas Movement remains committed to the ceasefire agreement as long as the occupation complies with it. This agreement was sponsored and guaranteed by the mediators (Egypt, Qatar and the United States), and witnessed by the international community. We confirm that the occupation is the party that did not abide by its commitments, and is responsible for any complications or delays."
What Comes Next
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, even in its first phase, has always been widely viewed as a fragile one. Both sides have repeatedly accused one another of distorting facts on the ground throughout the war and continue to clash over even basic details.
What remains to be seen is how Trump intends to both fulfill his promise to swiftly put an end to the conflict and also implement his controversial population transfer plan in Gaza, where Hamas retains a military and political presence despite suffering major losses.
Update 2/11/2025 4:08 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include an additional statement shared by the Hamas movement.
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