The six-month ceasefire agreement, which runs out on Thursday, almost collapsed at the beginning of November when Israel renewed military operations in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip prompting an increase in rocket strikes against Israel. The move led to a resumption in the Israeli blockade of essential supplies to the Gaza Strip.
The press secretary for Hamas, Ayman Taha, was quoted by the Israeli newspaper as saying that the radical movement sees no reason to renew the peace agreements "as long as Israel does not adhere to the conditions." Taha said that Israel had not extended the peace agreement to the West Bank, which Gaza has insisted on.
When asked if the move would lead to more attacks on Israel, Taha said that Hamas "would only react to Israeli aggression."
Israel also said it has no plans for any offensive attacks on the Gaza Strip. The head of the political-security department at Israel's defense ministry, Amos Gilad, said the Israeli military would only react to threats or attacks by Palestinian militants.
Gilad also said that Israel was not in favor of large-scale ground operations in Gaza, "we've already tried military solutions in the past, and this has not always brought immediate results."
Israel released 227 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture on Monday. Most of the prisoners returned to the Fatah-supervised West Bank, while just 18 were taken to the Gaza Strip.
