Israel refuses to release over 600 Palestinians, delaying exchange deal

Israel reneged on its scheduled release of over 600 Palestinians from its prisons on Saturday as part of its ongoing prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office attributed the violation of the deal’s terms to its displeasure with the media display surrounding Hamas’s delivery of prisoners it has held in the Gaza Strip since 2023.

Hamas has held weekly ceremonies in the strip to mark the handover of its Israeli prisoners, with hundreds of civilians gathering to witness the foreign nationals being presented with mementos of their time in Gaza before returning to Israel.

Footage from Saturday’s handover of five Israeli citizens sparked public attention as Omer Shem Tov, one of three captives who were delivered in central Gaza’s Nuseirat, could be seen embracing two Qassam Brigades fighters before being allowed to return to Israel in vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Thursday’s handover of the four deceased Israeli nationals was also met with criticism over the “parading” and “displaying” of the coffins as they were being delivered to humanitarian agencies in Gaza.

In the early hours of Sunday, Netanyahu’s office published a statement calling the handover ceremonies humiliating and a “cynical use of [the] hostages for propaganda purposes.”

Israel refuses to release more Palestinian prisoners until Hamas provides guarantees that it will no longer broadcast the handover of its prisoners, the statement continued.

Palestinian prisoners who were due for release on Saturday had already boarded buses at Ofer Prison in preparation for their release before Netanyahu’s decision prevented their departure, The Times of Israel reported on Sunday.

Hamas political bureau member Ezzat al-Rishq condemned the delay in comments to the press, calling it a deliberate attempt to derail the agreement and a blatant violation of its terms.

Rishq dismissed Israel’s claim that the handover ceremony was humiliating as a false pretext to evade its obligations, insisting that the process contained no form of humiliation and urging mediators to pressure Israel to uphold the deal and proceed with the prisoner release without delay.

Hundreds of Palestinians released under the sixth phase of the exchange deal returned to their homes in the Gaza Strip earlier this month, with many bearing marks of torture from their months in Occupation prisons.

Netanyahu stated on Sunday that 63 Israelis are still in the strip, while 192 have been returned to Israel, 45 of whom were returned dead.

Seven stages of the prisoner release deal that Hamas and Israel agreed to under the January 19 ceasefire have been executed so far.

Negotiations for phase two of the ceasefire have not yet begun.