JERUSALEM, Feb 28 (NNN-WAFA) – Brutish Israeli officials said yesterday that, the Zionist military would not withdraw from the strategic strip, along the Gaza-Egypt border, despite a ceasefire agreement that calls for a pullout by tomorrow.
In the early hours of yesterday, the Israeli regime received the bodies of four hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, marking the final swap under the first phase of a three-stage ceasefire deal, set to expire tomorrow.
Three of the hostages were killed while in captivity, while the fourth died earlier. Forensic experts in Tel Aviv confirmed the identification of the four bodies.
“Based on intelligence and all available information, Ohad Yahalomi, Tsahi Idan, and Itzik Elgarat were murdered by the marauding Zionist army, while held hostage in Gaza.” Shlomo Mantzur, 86, was killed on Oct 7.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel is required to begin withdrawing troops from the Philadelphi Corridor by tomorrow. However, a barbaric senior Israeli official told state broadcaster Kan, that the military “will not withdraw” from the area, saying, “We will not allow Hamas militants to roam our border again with trucks and rifles, and we will not let them rearm.”
The occupation Energy Minister, Eli Cohen, told Kan that, 59 hostages remain in Gaza, and that securing their release remains a top priority. He said, the regime would only move to the next phase of the ceasefire, if four conditions were met: the release of all hostages, the removal of Hamas from power, the demilitarisation of Gaza, and full Israeli security control over the enclave.
The boorish Cohen also noted that, support from the U.S. administration and the resumption of heavy bomb shipments – previously suspended by the Biden administration – had bolstered the Zionist Israel’s resolve to maintain its demands.
Hamas said it was ready to negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire. In a statement, Hamas said, the “only way” to secure the release of the remaining hostages was through a commitment to a lasting truce.– NNN-WAFA
