Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement will be postponed until Hamas ceases its “humiliating ceremonies” while liberating Israeli hostages.
Since the ceasefire commenced on January 19, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in orchestrated handovers, where masked militants displayed the captives on stage, compelling them to wave at the onlooking Gazans.
During their seventh scheduled prisoner-hostage exchange yesterday, Hamas released six Israeli captives while Israel postponed the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The Palestinian militant organization referred to the action as a “blatant violation” of the truce agreement.
Hamas militants showcased newly-released Israeli hostages yesterday
“In light of Hamas’ recurrent breaches – including the disgraceful ceremonies that dishonor our hostages and their duplicitous use of hostages for propaganda – it has been resolved to delay the release of terrorists that was scheduled for yesterday until the next hostages are released without the degrading ceremonies,” read a statement from Mr. Netanyahu’s office.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Hamas would face “destruction” if all remaining hostages were not released.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, families anxiously awaited for hours to see their loved ones returned from Israeli custody in exchange for the six Israelis repatriated.
“Waiting is extremely challenging,” expressed Shireen al-Hamamreh, whose brother was supposed to be released.
“We remain patient and will endure, stronger than the occupier, God willing,” she told AFP in Ramallah, located in the West Bank.
A ‘blatant violation’
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group indicated that Israel was to release 620 inmates yesterday, the majority of whom were Gazans detained during the conflict.
Before Mr. Netanyahu’s announcement, Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanou asserted that Israel’s “failure to comply with the release … at the set time is a clear violation of the agreement”.
He urged the truce mediators to pressure Israel into “fulfilling its commitments without delay or obstruction”.
The postponed release followed an emotional few days in Israel, where the remains of hostage Shiri Bibas were identified after an initial handover of a different body.
Mr. Netanyahu remarked that Hamas will pay “the full price” for what he described as a violation of the truce over Ms. Bibas’s return.
Ms. Bibas and her two young sons, who were among dozens captured during Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, had come to symbolize the suffering experienced by Israeli hostages.
Forensics expert Chen Kugel stated that an autopsy performed on their remains revealed “no evidence of injuries caused by a bombing”.
Hamas militants alleged that all three were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
‘Returning home’
The six Israelis released yesterday were the final group of living hostages intended to be freed under the first phase of the truce.
The agreement, which has thus far facilitated the release of 30 captives, is set to expire in early March.
Discussions for a second phase, aimed at achieving a permanent end to the conflict, have yet to commence.
At a ceremony in Nuseirat, central Gaza, Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Israeli-Argentine Omer Wenkert, 23, waved from a stage, flanked by masked Hamas militants, prior to their handover to the Red Cross.
Read more: Israel yet to release Palestinians after 6 hostages freed
“I saw the expression on his face, he seems calm, he knows he’s on his way back home… He’s a true hero,” remarked Mr. Wenkert’s friend, Rory Grosz.
Under the cold winter rain in Rafah, southern Gaza, militants also surrendered Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, who appeared disoriented.
A sixth hostage, Hisham al-Sayed, 37, was later released privately and transported back to Israeli territory, according to military sources.
Mr. Sayed, a Bedouin Muslim, and Mr. Mengistu, an Ethiopian Jew, had been held in Gaza for nearly a decade after individually entering the territory.
Mr. Sayed’s family described the moment as a “long-awaited occasion”.
‘Mix-up’
On Thursday, the initial transfer of deceased hostages under the truce incited outrage in Israel after findings determined that Ms. Bibas’s remains were not among the four bodies returned.
Shiri Bibas and her two young sons were taken captive during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack
Hamas acknowledged a potential “mix-up of bodies,” and late Friday, additional human remains were handed over, which the Bibas family confirmed were identified as belonging to Ms. Bibas.
The family released a statement expressing that she “was murdered in captivity and has now returned home… to rest.”
Out of 251 individuals taken hostage during the October 2023 attack, 62 remain in Gaza, including 35 that the Israeli military claims are dead.
The Hamas assault resulted in the deaths of 1,215 people, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory actions have claimed at least 48,319 lives in Gaza, with the majority being civilians, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory, which the United Nations considers credible.
