JERUSALEM

The brother of an Israeli hostage being held in the Gaza Strip accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday of obstructing the prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian resistance factions.

Danny Algert, whose brother, Itzik, is being held captive, told Israeli Army Radio that Netanyahu “failed to move forward with the second phase” of a ceasefire deal. He argued that the second phase is integral to the first. “If it is dismantled, why would Hamas release the captives” he said.

His remarks followed an announcement Monday by Hamas’ armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, who said it postponed a scheduled release of Israeli captives on Saturday until Israel fully implements the agreement and retroactively fulfills past obligations.

Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Al-Qassam Brigades, said that during the past three weeks, Israel had violated the deal by delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, targeting them with airstrikes and gunfire and restricting humanitarian aid. He claimed that Hamas had upheld its commitments.

As a result, he said the Al-Qassam Brigades decided to postpone the release of additional Israeli captives until Israel complies with the agreement and retroactively compensates for delays. “We remain committed to the deal as long as the (Israeli) occupation does the same,” he said.

Israeli forces continue to fire on Palestinians in various parts of Gaza almost daily, using drones, resulting in casualties, including to children and the elderly, despite a ceasefire,

Salama Marouf, the head of Gaza’s Media Office, warned Friday that after 20 days, humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain dire due to Israel’s delays in implementing the ceasefire agreement.

The three-phase ceasefire deal has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 victims and left the enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.