Israel delays prisoner release after Hamas frees six hostages

Israel is delaying the release of Palestinian prisoners, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, after Gaza militants freed six hostages in the latest swap.

“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,” Netanyahu’s office announced early on Sunday.

The release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is now on hold “until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies,” the statement added.

Palestinian extremist group Hamas on Saturday handed over six more hostages to Red Cross representatives in the Gaza Strip.

In return for the men’s release, Israel had been set to free 602 Palestinian prisoners, including 50 serving life sentences, according to Palestinian information.

According to eyewitnesses, preparations for the release of the prisoners were cancelled on Saturday evening.

Earlier, Hamas had warned in a statement that Israel would no longer find mediators for the conflict if it violated the agreement and refused to release the prisoners.

Hamas hostage handover draws criticism

The six hostages were turned over to the Red Cross in different parts of Gaza, with 40-year-old Tal Shoham and long-term captive Avera Mengistu, 39, released first in the city of Rafah.

Omer Shem-Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert, all in their 20s, were then handed over to Red Cross representatives in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

The final hostage freed on Saturday was Hisham al-Sayed, 36, who was released in Gaza City after almost 10 years in captivity.

The hostage handover was once again staged by masked and armed Hamas fighters, with onlookers, loud music, and Palestinian flags. The hostages were paraded on stages and apparently told to smile and wave to the crowds that had assembled amid buildings laid to ruins during more than 16 months of war.

Israeli media aired a propaganda video showing two Israeli hostages being forced by Hamas to watch the release of other hostages in Nuseirat from close range while they themselves remained in captivity.

In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum called this a cruel form of psychological torment.

Two freed after a decade in captivity

Al-Sayed and Ethiopian-born Mengistu had been held by Hamas for around 10 years, after they had crossed the border into the Gaza Strip voluntarily in 2015 and 2014 respectively.

Hamas released recordings of the two during captivity, with Al-Sayed shown lying in a bed with an oxygen mask in 2022. The images caused outrage in Israel.

According to Israeli sources, both men are dealing with psychological issues.

The other four men were abducted on October 7, 2023, by Hamas and other extremist groups during their unprecedented massacre in southern Israel, which resulted in 1,200 deaths. More than 250 people were taken hostage that day.

More than 48,300 Palestinians have been killed in the war that followed, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority.

Shem-Tov, Cohen and Wenkert – aged 22, 27 and 23 years old respectively – were kidnapped at the Nova music festival near the Gaza border, while Shoham, who also holds Austrian citizenship, was seized from the nearby Be’eri kibbutz while visiting relatives there.

Hamas released three of the six hostages earlier than planned, after they were originally due to be freed next weekend in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.

The militia wanted to ensure that the release of dozens of its high-ranking members from Israeli prisons did not fail at the last minute, media reported.

Second phase uncertain

Hamas is set to hand over the bodies of four more Israeli hostages next week, in the final step in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

The multi-stage ceasefire agreement, that began on January 19, stipulates that during the first six-week phase, a total of 33 hostages will be gradually released in exchange for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners.

So far Hamas has released 25 hostages in several rounds, as well as four bodies. Five Thai nationals kidnapped from Israel were released independently of the agreement.

The second phase of the agreement should lead to a definitive end to the war and to the release of the remaining hostages, but it is unclear whether it can actually be implemented.

Hamas wants a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal. Israel is insisting on its war aim of completely destroying Hamas. More than 60 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, about half of whom are no longer believed to be alive.

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