Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the planned release of Palestinian prisoners under the ongoing ceasefire agreement has been paused until the release of additional Israeli hostages is assured. Image: CNN.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas has so far released 25 Israeli hostages, usually arranging their release in flamboyant handovers involving masked militants and large crowds of onlookers. Six Israeli captives were released on Saturday by the group, but Israel did not undertake its reciprocal release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners.
As an act of deterrent to Hamas’s numerous violations—notably humiliating ceremonies demeaning our hostages and cynical use of hostages for propaganda—it was decided to halt the release of terrorists due on yesterday (Saturday) until that of the forthcoming hostages is secure, without humiliating ceremonies,” his office stated.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in from Washington that threatening Hamas, they would “be destroyed” if it violates the agreement and releases all future Israeli hostages. Meanwhile, Palestinian families in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank had gathered on Saturday in anticipation of the release of their loved ones. “Waiting is very hard,” said Shireen al-Hamamreh, whose brother was to be released. “We are patient, and we will be stronger than the occupier, God willing.”
The war continues taking a catastrophic human toll. The Health Ministry of Gaza has registered 48,319 Palestinians dead and 111,749 injured since the conflict began. Gaza’s Government Media Office, reporting alternative figures, estimates the lowest number of deaths at 61,709, including thousands of people still under the rubble. In Israel, a minimum of 1,139 individuals died in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that initiated the war. Over 200 others were kidnapped and remain hostages, including 62 still being held in Gaza, with 35 believed by the Israeli military to have been killed.
Israel’s decision to delay the release of prisoners comes after a week of theatre surrounding the fate of hostages. Israeli forensic experts confirmed the body of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas had been found. But her two young sons remain missing. The Israeli military claims Hamas militants murdered the children “with their bare hands” in November 2023—a charge Hamas dismissed as “baseless lies.”.
Thursday’s release of dead hostages under the ceasefire agreement incensed Israel after examinations revealed Bibas’ body was not among the four corpses initially delivered. Netanyahu promised Hamas would “pay the full price” for the purported truce breaches.
The current ceasefire accord, under which 30 hostages have been freed, runs out in early March. Negotiations towards a second phase, followed by a permanent end to hostilities, continue to stall. The collapse of the prisoner exchange raises questions about the sustainability of the ceasefire, with Hamas calling on mediators to pressure Israel to meet its commitments. Whether the truce will hold in the midst of rising tensions is yet to be determined.
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