Early on the morning of February 23, Israel announced that it was delaying the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners until Jerusalem receives assurances to end the "humiliating ceremonies" that Hamas holds when handing over hostages.
This is reported by The Times of Israel.
Israel was supposed to release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners on February 22. They had already boarded buses to leave Ofer prison, but they were soon ordered off the buses and the release was postponed indefinitely.
The Palestinian prisoners were to be released as part of a deal to release six Israeli hostages from Hamas earlier in the day. But Israelis were outraged by a propaganda video showing the hostages being brought to a ceremony to free other prisoners. In the video, two hostages watch from the window of a bus as other prisoners are released, pleading for their release as well.
“In light of repeated violations by Hamas — including ceremonies that humiliate our hostages and the cynical use of our hostages for propaganda purposes — it has been decided to postpone the release of the terrorists scheduled for yesterday until a subsequent release of the hostages is guaranteed, without humiliating ceremonies,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said.
Israelʼs war in the Gaza Strip
Active hostilities between Israel and Hamas have continued since October 7, 2023, when militants of the Islamist group launched a massive rocket attack on southern and central Israel, invaded the countryʼs territory, killed hundreds of civilians, and took hostages.
On the evening of January 15, 2025, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. This could ease tensions in the Middle East, where conflicts continue in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
In the first phase of the agreement, Hamas pledged to release 33 Israeli hostages, and Israel pledged to release more than 1 900 Palestinian prisoners and begin withdrawing troops from the Gaza Strip.
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