The Palestinian group Hamas has rejected US President Donald Trump's latest ultimatum and confirmed that it will release Israeli hostages only in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, ABC News reports.
Hamas accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of backing away from the January peace deal. The deal includes a prisoner swap for Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
"The best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages is through negotiations on that phase, which were supposed to begin in early February," Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said, adding that only limited preparatory consultations had taken place so far.
Earlier, Trump issued a "last warning" to Hamas, saying that if Hamas did not accept his terms, they would be destroyed. He also called on the leaders of the Palestinian movement to leave the country.
According to Israeli intelligence, Hamas is holding 24 live hostages and the bodies of 34 dead. Israel has proposed a plan under which Hamas should immediately release half of the hostages.
During this time, the Israeli army has destroyed more than 17,000 Hamas militants.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that he was losing patience with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The reason was the terrible condition of the last released Israeli hostages.
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