Israel blocks release of Palestinian prisoners, vexing Hamas

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Sunday that he had delayed the release of additional Palestinian prisoners over Hamas violations, including the humiliating Hamas ceremonies for the release of Israeli hostages.

“In light of Hamas’s repeated violations, including the ceremonies that humiliate our hostages and the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes, it has been decided to delay the release of terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies,” he said.

Hamas accused Israel of fabricating a pretext to suspend the release of Palestinian prisoners, arguing that his claim “that ‘handover ceremonies are humiliating’ is a lie and serves as an excuse for not respecting the agreement.” The terror group called on the international community to intervene to force Israel to implement the terms of the agreement.

Suspending the release of Palestinian prisoners came after Hamas returned the body of an unidentified Palestinian instead of the body of the hostage Shiri Bibas, who was killed in captivity. Until Saturday night, no discussion had taken place on this issue, as Israel had preferred to wait for the return of the six Israeli hostages before taking action.

In addition, after six hostages were released, Hamas released a video showing hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal in a van at the ceremony, watching. They turned to the camera and begged Netanyahu to continue on to later stages of the hostage release and ceasefire deal, decrying any resumption of military pressure.

Earlier in the video, Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert, and Omer Shem Tov are seen outside surrounding an olive tree that had allegedly been destroyed by IDF forces. The three lament the IDF offensive and the destruction, noting that the tree was older than Israel.

The Israeli government’s decision caused tensions to flare up between the military high command and political officials. The army and intelligence services advocated for exerting further pressure on Hamas, notably by reducing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, while continuing to release prisoners. But at the last minute, as the detainees were already boarded on the buses, Netanyahu called for another discussion and decided to cancel their release.

Negotiations are continuing for a second phase of the agreement, which could allow for the release of more hostages. According to sources close to the discussions, out of 63 hostages still being held in Gaza at least 24 are presumed alive. Israel is demanding guarantees that they will continue being freed before any new release of prisoners, while Hamas continues to demand strict application of the initial agreement as it engages in flagrant violations.

Source » i24news