Hamas 'still committed' to ceasefire amid delays

HAMAS has moved to shore up its brittle ceasefire agreement with Israel by reaffirming its commitment to the terms of the deal that includes a pledge to hand over the remains of all dead Israeli hostages.

- WAFAA SHURAFAE

The militant group's statement released in the early hours of Friday follows a warning from US President Donald Trump that he would greenlight Israel to resume the war if Hamas does not live up to its end of the deal and return all of the hostages’ bodies.

But Hamas maintains that some bodies were buried in tunnels that were later destroyed by Israel, and heavy machinery is required to dig through rubble to retrieve them.

The group also criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his call to cut aid to Gaza, saying it was an attempt to manipulate humanitarian needs “for political gains”. In a followup statement on Friday, Hamas urged mediators to increase the flow of aid into Gaza, expedite the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and start the reconstruction process, especially for homes, hospitals and schools.