Middle East latest: Hamas says it will delay hostage release set for Saturday

A spokesperson for Hamas says it will delay the next hostage release after accusing Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement.

Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The next exchange, scheduled for Saturday, called for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas' military wing, accused Israel of systematically violating the ceasefire agreement over the past three weeks. He cited ''delays in allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, targeting them with airstrikes and gunfire across various areas of the Strip, and failing to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid as agreed.''

In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the delay by Hamas was ''a complete violation'' of the ceasefire agreement and that he instructed the Israeli military to be on the highest level of alert.

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Egypt objects to any suggestion that Palestinians be transferred out of Gaza or the West Bank

Egypt on Monday reiterated its rejection to the transfer of Palestinians from their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, warning that such proposals threaten ''the foundations of people'' in the Middle East.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is the basis for ''comprehensive and just peace'' in the region.

The statement said Egypt rejects any violations to the Palestinians' right of self-determination and independence and upholds the right of return for Palestinian refugees who were forced to flee their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war.

The statement urged the international community to ''unite behind a political vision to resolve the Palestinian cause, based on the necessity of ending the historical injustice the Palestinian people have been subjected to.''

Hamas' delay in hostage release sparks concern over those still held

Amid reports of brutal conditions that hostages have been subject to, Israelis reacted with alarm after Hamas announced it would delay the hostage release scheduled for Saturday.

Ofer Kalderon, who was released form Hamas captivity earlier this month, said he was held underground in dark tunnels for his entire captivity, had no access to news, experienced severe hunger and went months without showering or receiving proper care.

''Immediately after the first deal, the conditions of my captivity and those of many other hostages severely deteriorated and became brutal,'' said Kalderon, referring to a week-long ceasefire deal in November 2023.

''We must get everyone out as quickly as possible.''

A doctor working with the families of hostages says freeing the remaining hostages being held in Gaza is a matter of life and death.

''The hostages are in a clear and present danger. Their lives are at risk,'' said Dr. Hagai Levine. ''Delaying their release means that some of them will not survive.''

Hamas announced the delay on Monday after accusing Israel of violating a six-week fragile ceasefire.

Hamas blasts Trump's statement on ‘ownership' of Gaza

A senior Hamas official blasted President Donald Trump's latest remarks about the U.S. ownership of Gaza, as ''absurd.''

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' political bureau, said the comments ''reflect a deep ignorance of Palestine and the region.''

In comments released by Hamas early Monday, he said Trump's approach toward the Palestinian cause will fail.

On Monday, Trump said Palestinians in Gaza would not have a right to return under his plan for U.S. ''ownership'' of the war-torn territory, contradicting other officials in his administration who've sought to argue Trump was only calling for the temporary relocation of its population.

Israel responds to Hamas' hostage-release delay

An Israeli official said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was consulting security officials after Hamas announced Monday that it would delay the next release of hostages. The release was scheduled for Saturday.

The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Netanyahu also pushed forward a scheduled meeting of his Security Cabinet to Tuesday morning from later in the day.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Hamas' plan to delay the next release of hostages was ''a complete violation'' of the ceasefire agreement and that he instructed the Israeli military to be on the highest level of alert.

Netanyahu's coordinator for hostages said all of the hostage families have been updated.

Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas' military wing, on Monday accused Israel of systematically violating the ceasefire agreement.

PA ends controversial payments to families of Palestinian prisoners

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has ended a controversial system that paid stipends to the families of Palestinian prisoners, including those convicted in deadly attacks on Israel.

The step is aimed at improving relations with the new administration of President Donald Trump. The U.S., along with Israel, has said the so-called ''martyrs fund'' rewarded violence against Israel.

Under the new system, prisoners' families will still be eligible for government assistance, but only depending on their financial needs. Previously, payments were determined based on the amount of time a prisoner had spent in prison.

There was no immediate reaction from the U.S. or Israel.

Israeli police raid Palestinian-owned bookstore in east Jerusalem

Israeli police have raided a long-established Palestinian-owned bookstore in east Jerusalem, detaining the owners and confiscating books about the decades-long conflict. The police said the books incited violence.

The Educational Bookshop, established over 40 years ago, is a hub of intellectual life in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed to its capital in a move not recognized internationally. Most of the city's Palestinian population lives in east Jerusalem, and the Palestinians want it to be the capital of their future state.

The three-story bookstore that was raided on Sunday has a large selection of books, mainly in Arabic and English, about the conflict and the wider Middle East, including many by Israeli and Jewish authors. It hosts cultural events and is especially popular among researchers, journalists and foreign diplomats.

The bookstore's owners, Ahmed and Mahmoud Muna, were detained.

Turkish president again rejects US proposal to relocate Palestinians

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again rejected a U.S. proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza and said Israel should pay for the damage it caused there and for reconstruction to begin.

''We do not consider the proposal to exile the Palestinians from the lands they have lived in for thousands of years as something to be taken seriously,'' Erdogan said during a visit to Malaysia on Monday.

''No one has the power to force the Palestinian people to experience a second Nakba,'' he added, referring to the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Erdogan, who is on a four-day tour of Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan, highlighted the severe destruction in Gaza.