Israel goes back on Palestinian prisoner release, cites ‘humiliating’ hostage handovers

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, 23 February, postponed the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners until next time, citing "humiliating ceremonies" conducted by Hamas during the handover of Israeli hostages. He has now put off the release until the next set of Hamas hostages have been secured.

This decision follows the release of six Israeli hostages by Hamas, who were to be exchanged for these 620 Palestinian prisoners per the ceasefire deal. During the release of the Israelis, the hostages were allegedly paraded in front of crowds, actions Israel deems degrading and ‘propagandistic’.

Note that the release of the Palestinian prisoners was a component of the ongoing ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

However, Netanyahu stated that the releases would be delayed until Hamas 'ceases these ceremonies' and provides assurances regarding the treatment of hostages.

No assurances were offered on the treatment of Palestinians in IDF custody in return. Or indeed, about Israel's treatment of Palestine being humiliation-free or absent Zionist propaganda.

This development raises uncertainties about the future of the ceasefire and ongoing negotiations, as it is unclear how Hamas can prove it has 'ceased these ceremonies' when it has already released all the agreed-upon hostages to this point.

However, Netanyahu, in his sweeping statement, accused Hamas of 'repeated violations' — he did not state of what agreement or rules — and called all the Palestinians in Israel's custody 'terrorists'.

Israel was expected to release 602 Palestinian prisoners, including 60 serving long sentences, 50 serving life terms and 47 re-arrested after their 2011 release in exchange for captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

"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," Netanyahu's office stated.

Since the ceasefire began on 19 January, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in highly publicised handovers. Videos have shown masked Hamas operatives escorting the captives past gathered crowds shouting slogans in support of Palestine's freedom and anti-Israel slogans. The escorted hostages seem to have been told to wave at the cameras and have been given 'gifts' of photos to serve as reminders of their captivity, which is what Israel is calling a propaganda stunt.

The delayed announcement comes after a challenging time in Israel, where the remains of hostage Shiri Bibas (from the previous round of hostage exchange) were identified.

Israel alleged on Saturday, 22 February, that Bibas, who had been held captive by Hamas since 7 October 2023, was murdered along with her two young sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, in November 2023.

The announcement came after Hamas initially handed over what was later said to be the body of a Palestinian woman rather than of Bibas. Israeli officials later declared that the Bibas family was brutally murdered over a year ago.

Reuters reported a statement from a Hamas spokesperson that the children and their mother were killed in Israeli bombing and their bodies must have been mixed up with others in the rubble.

IDF claims to have sent out forensic evidence to allied nations to verify that the boys were killed by 'bare hands'.

Their deaths marked the loss of three generations of the family. Bibas' parents, Yossi and Margit Silberman, were killed in the Hamas-led attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October.

Meanwhile, in the latest hostage-prisoner exchange, six more Israeli hostages were released at different times on Saturday.

With IANS inputs