Israel’s delay in releasing Palestinian prisoners ‘blatant violation’ of exchange deal: Hamas
GAZA CITY, Palestine
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Saturday accused Israel of violating the prisoner exchange and Gaza ceasefire deal by delaying the release of the seventh batch of Palestinian detainees.
Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said in a press release that “the occupation’s failure to release the prisoners of the seventh exchange batch on the agreed day represents a blatant violation of the agreement.”
“While Hamas has responded to the efforts of mediators to facilitate the exchange, the war criminal (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu continues his tactics of procrastination and delay, holding back the release of the (Palestinian) prisoners,” he added.
Al-Qanou called on mediators — Egypt, Qatar, and the guarantors of the agreement — to pressure Israel to respect the ceasefire terms and implement the exchange without further delays.
As of 6:45 p.m. local time (2245 GMT), Israel had yet to release the Palestinian prisoners, despite Hamas fulfilling its commitments under the deal.
Earlier, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that the release had been postponed until after Netanyahu held security consultations on Saturday evening regarding negotiations for the second phase of the Gaza agreement.
Hamas leader Zaher Jabbarein told Al Jazeera — citing information shared with mediators in Egypt and Qatar — that the delay was being closely monitored.
“We are working with the mediators in Qatar and Egypt to resolve the outstanding issues, and the Zionist enemy will find no mediator or guarantor in the future if it violates the agreement and refuses to hand over our prisoners,” Jabbarein said.
He accused Netanyahu of seeking to destabilize the region, stating, “Netanyahu and his government are not serious about continuing the ceasefire agreement.”
“Hamas had previously suggested exchanging all the prisoners in one go, but Netanyahu is evading,” he said.
Jabbarein also called for an international investigative committee to examine the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, alleging ongoing mistreatment up to their final moments in detention.
Israeli authorities were set to release 620 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday as part of the seventh batch of the first phase of the deal.
Earlier in the day, Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, transferred six Israeli captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Rafah, Nuseirat, and Gaza City.
The ceasefire deal took effect last month, temporarily halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,300 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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