Netanyahu refuses to release Palestinians despite returning six hostages
The Palestinian independence movement Hamas released six more Israeli hostages on Saturday. Israel was supposed to release more than 600 Palestinians in exchange for the same day. However, the Palestinians will not be released until the next round of prisoners is released, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
He made this announcement in a statement on Saturday. This information was reported by several international media outlets, including Qatar-based media Al Jazeera, CBS News, and the Guardian.
In a statement late yesterday, Netanyahu said, “Due to Hamas’ repeated violations (of the ceasefire agreement), including its disrespect for our hostages through humiliating events and its reprehensible use of the hostages for propaganda purposes, it has been decided that the terrorists (Palestinians) who were planned to be released yesterday (Saturday) will not be released until the hostages are released without humiliating events in the next phase.”
Hamas released six Israeli hostages on Saturday, in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire. As part of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, 620 prisoners were to be released in exchange for six Israeli hostages.
Al Jazeera reported that Israel has not released the Palestinian prisoners even after days and nights. Their relatives have expressed their disappointment that the Palestinians have not been released despite waiting.
Meanwhile, Hamas has described the failure to release the prisoners within the stipulated time as a violation of the ceasefire agreement. The organization has accused Netanyahu of delaying the implementation of the agreement and using tactics to prolong the war.
A Hamas spokesman said that Israel has grossly violated the ceasefire agreement by not releasing the prisoners in the seventh round, even though the specified time has passed.
Incidentally, Hamas released 6 Israeli hostages in the seventh round of prisoner exchanges yesterday, Saturday. Four of them were captured in a Hamas operation on October 7, 2023. The remaining two had been imprisoned in Gaza for 10 and 11 years. In exchange, more than 600 Palestinians were supposed to be released. 50 of them were sentenced to life imprisonment. However, Israel has not yet released them as per the conditions.
It is worth noting that after nearly 16 months of bloody conflict, a ceasefire began in Gaza on January 19. Since then, Hamas has released 25 hostages in accordance with the conditions of the ceasefire agreement. A special ceremony has been organized by the organization for their release.
Meanwhile, a Hamas spokesman said that Hamas is ready to release all remaining Israeli hostages in one step if the conditions are met. He also reiterated Hamas’s sincerity in implementing all stages of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
The first phase of the ongoing ceasefire will last 42 days. During this period, Hamas will release a total of 33 Israeli hostages. In exchange, 1,900 Palestinians are scheduled to be released from Israeli prisons. Then the second and third phases are scheduled to begin.
However, analysts fear that Netanyahu is not interested in going to the second phase of the ceasefire. With most of the surviving hostages freed, the government’s extremist allies are pressuring him to start fighting again in Gaza.
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