Family members waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners follow developments early Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after receiving news that Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners scheduled in the West Bank city of Ramallah. AP
Israel delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners under the pretext of "humiliating ceremonies" conducted by Hamas while releasing Israeli captives on Saturday.
In a statement, Hamas said that the delay of Palestinian prisoners' release once again exposes Israel’s evasiveness and its failure to uphold commitments.
"Netanyahu’s decision to delay the handover of prisoners is a deliberate attempt to obstruct the ceasefire agreement and a clear violation of its terms," the group added.
The Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement late Saturday that freeing Palestinian prisoners under the Gaza ceasefire deal will be delayed until Hamas ends what it claims as "humiliating ceremonies."
This statement came as military vehicles that generally moved in advance of the buses carrying the Palestinian detainees left the open gates of Ofer prison, only to turn around and go back in.
The release of 620 Palestinian prisoners had been delayed for several hours and was meant to occur just after Hamas released six Israeli captives on Saturday. It was meant to be the most significant one-day prisoner release in the Gaza ceasefire’s first phase.
Flimsy pretext
In its statement, Hamas dismissed Israel’s claim that the handover ceremony of Israeli captives in Gaza was "humiliating," calling it a false pretext aimed at evading its commitments under the agreement.
The group added that the handover process involved no humiliation but reflected humane and dignified treatment.
"The real humiliation is what our prisoners endure during the release process — torture, beatings, and deliberate humiliation until the very last moments," Hamas stated.
It called on mediators and the international community to take responsibility and pressure Israel to implement the agreement and release Palestinian prisoners without delay.
Additionally, senior Hamas official Bassem Naimon accused Israel of placing the Gaza truce in grave danger.
"What the enemy government is doing by postponing the release of our prisoners according to the agreement is behaving like thugs and exposes the entire agreement to grave danger," Naimon told AFP.
He called on the mediators, especially the United States, to pressure Israel "to implement the agreement as it is and immediately release this batch of prisoners."
Netanyahu: The real obstacle
According to Axios, Netanyahu decided the delay against the recommendation of Israeli security services leaders who warned that a delay in the release of the Palestinian prisoners could lead Hamas not to return the remaining four bodies of captives as planned on Thursday.
The Israeli Yedioth Ahronot newspaper cited sources as saying that this is not the first time Netanyahu has hardened his stance after reaching certain conclusions in discussions.
It warned that Israel’s delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners could jeopardize the implementation of the Gaza agreement and lead to an explosion that results in a return to the war.
Some sources suggest that Netanyahu is attempting to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal and secure the release of more captives held in Gaza.
Other Israeli sources told Yedioth Ahronot that Netanyahu demanded that Hamas leave control of the Gaza Strip, complete disarmament of the territory, and the exile of Hamas leaders abroad before the start of the deal's second phase.
Negotiations for a second phase, which is meant to lead to a permanent end to the war, are supposed to begin on 1 March.
For more than two weeks, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators have been pressuring a stalling Netanyahu to begin talks on final arrangements for the end of the Gaza war, as stipulated toward the end of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
Since 19 January, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 92 Palestinians in Gaza, while Israeli authorities have repeatedly obstructed the entry of rubble removal equipment and medical supplies, violating the ceasefire deal.
The death toll in Gaza has risen to 48,222 and the wounded to 111,665, the majority of whom are children and women, since the start of Israel's genocidal war in October 2023.
Hundreds of Palestinian detainees
The 620 Palestinian prisoners meant to be freed include 445 men, 23 children aged 15-19, and a woman, all seized by Israeli troops in Gaza without charge during the war.
Also meant to be released are 151 Palestinians serving life sentences. Almost 100 would be deported, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office.
A Palestinian prisoner rights association said they include Nael Barghouti, who spent over 45 years in prison.
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