Israel delays Palestinian prisoner release after 'humiliating' hostage handovers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that the release of Palestinian prisoners would be delayed until Hamas ceases its "humiliating ceremonies" during the release of Israeli hostages under the ceasefire deal.  

Israel had planned 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 January 19, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in highly publicised handovers. Videos have shown masked Hamas operatives parading captives in front of gathered crowds, forcing them to wave as part of what Israel calls a propaganda stunt.

The delayed announcement comes after a challenging time in Israel, where the remains of hostage Shiri Bibas were identified following the previous exchange of an incorrect body.

Israel confirmed on Saturday that Bibas, who had been held captive by Hamas since October 7, 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 the body of a Palestinian woman instead of Bibas. Israeli officials later confirmed that the Bibas family was brutally murdered over a year ago.

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 October 7.

Hamas had been expected to return the remains of Bibas and her sons on Thursday, along with fellow hostage Oded Lifshitz. While the remains of Ariel, Kfir, and Lifshitz were confirmed, the fourth body provided by Hamas was not Bibas but an unnamed Palestinian woman.

Meanwhile, in the latest hostage-prisoner exchange, six Israeli hostages were released at different times on Saturday. Hamas released videos showing the captives emerging from vehicles in Rafah, appearing frail and malnourished.