CAIRO, March 3. /TASS/. Hamas has accused Israel of committing numerous violations of the Gaza ceasefire deal at its first stage that lasted from January 19 to March 1.

It posted detailed statistics on its Telegram channel. According to Hamas, the Israeli authorities "were interested in breaking down the agreement and were seeking to do this." Thus, radicals claim that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) violated the humanitarian protocol and "hampered assistance to Gaza in the volume that was needed" and "repeatedly opened fire" at Gazans, killing 116 people and leaving 490 more wounded during the first phase of the deal.

Hamas also points to the fact that the Rafah checkpoint on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt is still closed for free passage of civilians in both directions and that Israeli troops have not yet withdrawn from the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt. Apart from that, Hamas alleges that Israel "deliberately delayed the beginning of talks on the second phase of the deal that were to kick off on the 16th day of the deal’s first phase." However, it said that despite these violations, it is "ready to stay committed to the agreement and engage in consultations on the second stage." The radicals placed responsibility for Israel "not sabotaging" the talks on the mediators and guarantors.

In mid-January, Israel and Hamas reached an Egypt-, Qatar-, and US-brokered three-stage agreement to release the hostages held in Gaza and declare a ceasefire in the enclave. The three-phase deal took effect on January 19. The initial 42-day phase of the ceasefire ended on March 1.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in the early hours on Sunday that Israel accepts US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s temporary ceasefire plan during Ramadan (until March 29) and Passover (from April 12 through 19). Under the plan, Palestinian groups are to release half of the hostages and hand over the bodies of those deceased on the first day and release the remaining hostages, both living and dead, at the end, if an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire.

According to Israeli prime minister’s representatives, should Hamas accept the US plan, Israel "will immediately begin talks on the details of Witkoff’s plan." However, later in the day, Netanyahu’s office said that Hamas had rejected the US proposal and Israel was blocking humanitarian deliveries to the Gaza Strip and closing all checkpoints along the enclave’s border.