Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Gaza/Washington, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) — Hamas on Sunday denied a U.S. State Department statement that it would attack Palestinian civilians.
The US State Department said on Saturday it had received "credible reports" that Hamas was planning an imminent attack on Palestinian civilians.
The United States has warned the guarantor countries of the Gaza peace agreement about these reports of a Hamas plan, the department said.
In a statement released on Sunday, Hamas called the accusations baseless.
"Hamas rejects the allegations made by the US State Department in the statement and categorically denies claims of an 'imminent attack' or a 'violation of the ceasefire agreement,'" the movement said in a statement.
Such an attack by Hamas would undermine recent mediation efforts and the progress made toward peace, and “if Hamas launches such an attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and maintain the integrity of the ceasefire,” the US State Department said.
The ceasefire agreement came into effect on October 10. Its first phase includes the exchange of prisoners and detainees, the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.
In a statement released early Saturday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had received the body of the tenth dead Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, in addition to the remaining 20 living hostages. On Saturday evening, the IDF announced that it had received the bodies of two more dead Israeli hostages.
Hamas previously said Israel's continued closure of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip was delaying "reconstruction work and the transfer of the bodies of Israeli hostages."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to close the crossing until further notice "constitutes a grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and a repudiation of the commitments he made to the mediators and guarantor parties," Hamas said in a press statement.
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