Hamas delays release of more Israeli hostages on Saturday

Hamas has said it will delay the release of more hostages after accusing Israel of violating their ceasefire deal. 

It said the handover scheduled for Saturday would not go ahead.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Qassam Brigades claimed that over the past three weeks violations had included “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, and targeting them with shelling and gunfire”.

Abu Obeida said they remained committed to the deal if Israel kept to the terms, but the handover on 15 February was “postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the past weeks retroactively”.

The last release of hostages by Hamas was at the weekend, when three Israeli men and five Thai men were freed.

They were among about 250 people taken during the October 2023 terror attack that killed around 1,200 people.

The hostage deal has seen hundreds of Palestinians released by Israel in exchange, as well as a truce in the Gaza War.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.