On Sunday, Hamas responded to Israel’s decision to delay the release of more than 600 Palestinians from Israeli jails as a “blatant violation” of the hostage and ceasefire deal.
Under the deal, Israel was supposed to release 620 Palestinians, including women and children detained in Gaza after October 7, 2023, in exchange for the six Israeli hostages Hamas handed over on Saturday.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the release was delayed over alleged Hamas “violations,” including the handover ceremonies, which he said “humiliate” the Israeli hostages.
In response, Hamas official Ezzat El Rashq said Netanyahu’s decision “reflects a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement, represents a blatant violation of its terms, and shows the occupation’s lack of reliability in implementing its obligations.”
Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire deal, including by continuing to shoot and bomb Palestinians in Gaza. Since the truce went into effect on January 19, Israeli forces have killed more than 100 Palestinians in the territory.
Netanyahu said that the release of the 620 Palestinians was delayed until “the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies.”
The six Israelis freed by Hamas on Saturday were the last of the surviving hostages who were set to be released under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, and the progress of the negotiations on the second phase, which Israel repeatedly delayed, is unclear. Another Hamas official said on Sunday that the negotiations would be suspended until Israel released the jailed Palestinians.
Israeli media reported last week that Netanyahu had added several new demands for the second phase, including continued Israeli “security control” of Gaza and the disarmament and removal of Hamas, two conditions Hamas has strongly rejected.
Netanyahu has also been warning he’s ready to restart Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, a threat he repeated on Sunday. “We are prepared to resume intense fighting at any moment,” he said. “In Gaza, we have eliminated most of Hamas’s organized forces, but let there be no doubt — we will complete the war’s objectives entirely — whether through negotiation or by other means.”
