Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem has said that Israel had begun to “manipulate the dates, the lists, and some of the procedures and steps agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement”.

Qassem claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu was doing this to “show the people that he is the one who controls things and is the one who moves and manages them”.

“We are in contact with the mediators to oblige the occupation to comply with what was agreed upon, and not to allow it to procrastinate. There was talk with friends about a ceasefire at noon this day, but the occupation, for internal considerations, is postponing the announcement to other dates,” Qassem explained.

“We continue to say that the occupation must abide by what was agreed upon, and we call on the mediators to work to oblige it,” he added.