Israel postpones exchange of Palestinian prisoners

The Jewish state will not allow humiliating ceremonies that insult the honor of the liberated Israeli hostages. “Due to repeated violations by Hamas, including the cynical use of the movement for propaganda purposes, it has been decided to postpone the release of the terrorists scheduled for February 22 until it is guaranteed that the next release of the hostages will take place without humiliating ceremonies,” the statement said. On Feb. 22, Hamas released six Israeli hostages in the seventh phase of the exchange. The prisoner affairs office said Israel must release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners in response. The Times of Israel newspaper wrote that the outrage of Tel Aviv is caused by the ceremony held by Hamas before the transfer of the bodies of hostages with the display of coffins with Israelis killed in captivity. A cease-fire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas has been in effect since January 19 and is guaranteed by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. The agreement provides for three stages in which the parties should exchange hostages and prisoners. This is the second truce concluded during the conflict. A similar attempt was made in November 2023, the agreement was violated six days later. On February 22, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) informed the Israeli military of the transfer by Hamas of the last of the six hostages to be released on that day. Netanyahu’s office said 73 more hostages were being held in Gaza as of February 16.

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