Netanyahu ‘intentionally sabotaging’ Gaza ceasefire: Hamas official

After Israel delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a Hamas official accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "intentionally sabotaging" the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Basem Naim told Al Jazeera on Monday that Hamas would not participate in any more ceasefire negotiations until Israel released the 620 Palestinian prisoners scheduled for release on Saturday.

“Before going to the next step, we have to be sure that the past step, which was releasing 620 prisoners, are already released,” said Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau.

“Netanyahu is clearly sending strong messages that he is intentionally sabotaging the deal, he is preparing the atmosphere for returning back to the war.”

Israel stated on Sunday that it has chosen to postpone the release of Palestinian inmates who were scheduled to be freed the day before in exchange for six Israeli captives held in Gaza. In a statement, Netanyahu's office stated that the decision was in response to Hamas captive release ceremonies "that humiliate our hostages" as well as "the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes". Since the Gaza Strip's ceasefire agreement went into effect last month, Israel and Hamas have exchanged captives.

While mediators have urged both sides to continue negotiations in order to complete the second phase of the deal, some observers have questioned Netanyahu's willingness to move on to the next phase.

Meron Rapoport, an editor at the Israeli news outlet Local Call, told Al Jazeera on Monday that Netanyahu aims to continue the Israeli attack on Gaza, but will meet considerable opposition from the Israeli population.

“The expectation from the families of the hostages [who remain in Gaza] is that all the hostages should be released,” Rapoport said.

Hamas is set to release the remains of four Israeli hostages later this week as part of the cease-fire agreement.

When asked about this, as well as the future of the deal, Naim told Al Jazeera that "all options are on the table".

“What are the guarantees that [Netanyahu] might take the other four bodies and again not release the agreed-upon number of Palestinians plus the 620 Palestinians?” the Hamas official asked.

“All options are on the table, not only what should happen on Thursday but even the other elements of the deal.”