The spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, announced in a statement via Telegram today, Monday, that Hamas has decided to postpone the release of Israeli hostages that were scheduled to be freed next Saturday, February 15, due to Israel's failure to comply with the terms of the agreement between the two parties.

Reasons for the delay according to Hamas

Abu Ubaida clarified that the resistance leadership has monitored Israeli occupation violations over the past three weeks, which included:

• Delaying the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza Strip and targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the strip.

• Not allowing the entry of relief materials, including food and humanitarian assistance, which the agreement specified should be delivered.

• The continued Israeli aggression in various forms, leading the resistance to see that the occupation has not adhered to the terms of the agreement.

Abu Ubaida confirmed that the decision to postpone the delivery of hostages will remain in effect until further notice, emphasizing that the resistance will remain committed to the agreement if the occupation adheres to it, with the necessity to compensate for the entitlements of the past weeks “retroactively.”

Trump: Palestinians will not return to Gaza under my plan to restructure the sector

In another development, former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Palestinians will not have the right to return to Gaza under a new U.S. plan to restructure the sector, indicating that relocating the residents of Gaza to other places would be the optimal solution.

Details of Trump's statements

In an interview with Fox News today, Monday, Trump was asked if Palestinians would be allowed to return to Gaza, to which he replied:

“No, they will not return, but they will have much better housing,” explaining that his plan includes building permanent places to resettle Palestinians outside the sector, as he said:

“In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them, as living in Gaza will not be possible for years to come.”

Reactions to Trump's plan

• Trump revealed the shocking Gaza plan for the first time during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which sparked widespread anger among Palestinians.

• The U.S. president confirmed that Gaza has been completely destroyed due to the war between Israel and Hamas, necessitating the relocation of its inhabitants.

• He called on Egypt and Jordan to host displaced Palestinians, which sparked widespread controversy regarding the role of neighboring countries in implementing the plan.

Analysis of developments

1. The cancellation of the release of Israeli hostages may increase tension between the Palestinian resistance and Israel, especially with the ongoing military escalation.

2. Trump's statements regarding the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza may lead to a diplomatic crisis, with the Palestinian Authority and neighboring countries rejecting any attempts to resettle the inhabitants of the sector abroad.

3. Israel may face increasing international pressure following the suspension of hostages' release, especially with growing criticism of its actions in the Gaza Strip.

Conclusion

While the Palestinian resistance continues to hold its position on prisoner exchange based on the agreed-upon terms, it seems that Trump's statements regarding Gaza may open a new avenue of debate about the future of the sector and its residents. With the ongoing war and political tensions, the coming weeks remain critical in determining the fate of Gaza and its inhabitants.