Israel & Hamas ceasefire deal on knife edge as Netanyahu halts prisoner release over ‘humiliating’ hostage ceremonies
ISRAEL has delayed the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners until Hamas stops its “humiliating” hostage handover ceremonies.
Saturday’s planned release was abruptly halted as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the terror group for using hostages as “cynical” propaganda tools.
The Prime Minister’s office accused Hamas of not only humiliating its captives but of also violating the ever-so-fragile ceasefire agreement.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement early on Sunday: “In light of the repeated and ongoing violations by Hamas — including the disgraceful ceremonies that dishonour the dignity of our abductees — it has been decided to postpone the release of the terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the release of the next group of abductees is secured, and without the humiliating ceremonies.”
As a result, vehicles carrying Palestinian prisoners were seen leaving the gates of Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank – only to turn back.
Hamas freed six Israeli hostages on Saturday in what Israel and the international community have slammed as heavily stage-managed events.
Five of the captives were cruelly paraded in front of crowds, escorted by masked, armed terrorists – a move the United Nations has described as cruel.
The sixth hostage was handed over in private to the Red Cross.
One disturbing video appeared to show Hamas forcing two Israrli hostages, Eviatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, to watch one of the handovers, filming them speaking under duress.
The release was supposed to mark the final exchange of living Israeli captives under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, with the bodies of four dead hostages scheduled for release next week.
But Israel‘s retaliatory decision to halt the Palestinian prisoner releases might have thrown the fragile truce into uncertainty.
CEASEFIRE ON SHAKY GROUND
The ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – announced on January 15 after 15 months of war – was brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt.
It aims to end the brutal fighting permanently and secure the release of hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The first phase of the agreement, set to last 42 days, includes a total of 33 hostage releases by Hamas in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
While the deal also allows humanitarian aid to flow in to Gaza and displaced civilians to return home, any misstep threatens to unravel months of delicate negotiations.
Saturday’s stalled prisoner release underscores just how fragile the ceasefire is.
Hamas has condemned Israel’s move, claiming that the hostage handover ceremonies are not humiliating but rather “reflect the humane and dignified treatment” of captives.
Ezzat El Rashq, a senior Hamas political official, accused Netanyahu of deliberately trying to “disrupt the agreement” and violating its terms.
PREVIOUS HOSTAGE RELEASES
Saturday’s hostage release marked the seventh round under the ongoing ceasefire deal.
After an entire decade of harrowing uncertainty, Avera Mengistu was finally freed yesterday.
The Ethiopian-born Israeli hostage, who spent a harrowing 3,821 days in Hamas captivity, was released in Rafah alongside October 7 victim Tal Shoham.
They were two of the six hostages being freed from Hamas’s claws.
The six are said to be the last living hostages Hamas will release during the first phase of the truce.
The IDF yesterday confirmed it received Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert from the Red Cross.
But Hisham al Sayed, a Bedouin Israeli who was captured before October 7, was later released separately, Sky News reported.
The previous release involved the return of the bodies of Oded Lifshitz and the Bibas children, Kfir and Ariel.
The children’s mum, Shiri Bibas, was only repatriated to Israel later on Friday night.
It took Hamas terrorists two attempts to correctly return the mum’s body back to her loved ones after sending the wrong remains in a vile mix up.
What happened on October 7?
ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.
The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.
And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival – killing at least 364 people there alone.
The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 15 months of devastation that followed.