Israel Halts Palestinian Prisoner Release Indefinitely as Hostages Return

Israel has indefinitely delayed the release of Palestinian prisoners following the return of hostages, raising tensions in ongoing negotiations. 

Israel has announced an indefinite delay in the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners, marking another potential major setback for the ceasefire process.

This occurred following the release of six Israeli hostages on Saturday, including four who were abducted during the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the release of Palestinian prisoners will be postponed until it is ensured that Hamas completes the next handover of hostages. Additionally, he insisted this should occur without what he described as the degrading ceremonies conducted by Hamas each week.

In the first phase of the ceasefire, there is just one more handover involving four hostages who have unfortunately died in captivity.

Arrangements for the release of other living hostages, planned for phase two of the ceasefire, have not yet been made.

Mediators will be putting in extra hours to attempt to revive the deal and prevent a potential breakdown of the ceasefire.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas engaged in “repeated violations,” highlighting their “cynical use of hostages for propaganda purposes.”

He made his statement following the release on Saturday of four hostages—Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert—who had been captured during the Nova music festival.

The two additional hostages who were released, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, had been held in Gaza for several years—Mr. Mengistu since 2014 and Mr. al-Sayed since 2015.

The six Israeli hostages are the last of the living captives to be released as part of the initial phase in a ceasefire agreement scheduled to conclude next Saturday.

READ ALSO: Hamas to Return Bodies of Israeli Hostages, Including Bibas Family

Outside the Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, family and friends gathered to await the release of Palestinian prisoners.

An 80-year-old mother in Khan Younis, Gaza, shared with AFP news agency her disbelief that her son would be released after spending 33 years in prison.

By the evening, Hamas claimed that Israel had breached the agreement by postponing the release.

Hamas did not immediately respond to Netanyahu’s statement.

According to Palestinian authorities, out of the prisoners set for release, 50 were serving life sentences, 60 had long-term sentences, and 445 have been held by Israel since October 7.

As of now, 62 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023, remain captive. It is believed that approximately half of them are still alive. In the upcoming phase of a three-stage ceasefire between Israel and Hamas scheduled to commence on March 1, more hostages are expected to be released.

After the ceasefire agreement took effect on January 19, Hamas started releasing hostages through a process facilitated by the Red Cross in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

What started as chaotic scenes have now become more organized, with hostages being escorted by fighters on stages during the handovers.