Israeli officials have delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, originally scheduled for Saturday, following the freeing of six Israeli hostages under a fragile Gaza truce nearing the end of its first phase.
Although Israel was expected to release detainees in return for the hostages, officials stated this would only occur after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a security consultation later in the day.
“Once the security consultation concludes, a decision will be made regarding the next steps of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas,” an Israeli official said anonymously.
No clear reason was given for the delay, which comes after an emotional period in Israel. The remains of hostage Shiri Bibas were identified following the earlier return of a different body. Bibas and her two sons, taken captive during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, had become symbols of the ordeal faced by hostages.
The six Israelis released earlier on Saturday were the final hostages freed under the truce’s first phase. In exchange, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club stated that Israel was set to release 620 detainees, mostly Gazans held since the war began.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which has largely paused over 15 months of conflict in Gaza and enabled the release of 30 captives, is set to expire in early March. Talks for a second phase, aimed at a permanent end to the war, have yet to begin.
Public Ceremonies in Gaza and Israel
In central Gaza’s Nuseirat, masked Hamas militants brought Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Israeli-Argentine Omer Wenkert, 23, onto a stage before handing them to the Red Cross. The hostages waved and held release certificates.
In Rafah, Hamas militants released Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, who both appeared dazed. Shoham was made to speak, flanked by gunmen in black. Later, Hisham al-Sayed, 37, was also freed.
In Tel Aviv, crowds at “Hostages Square” applauded and wept as they watched the live broadcast of the releases. Mengistu’s family described his return after a decade in captivity as “unimaginable suffering,” while Sayed’s family called it “a long-awaited moment.”
Mounting Pressure and Disputes
Earlier in the week, Hamas handed over four bodies, but there was outrage in Israel when forensic analysis revealed Bibas’s remains were not among them. Hamas later admitted a “mix-up of bodies,” blaming Israeli airstrikes.
Israel’s military has since claimed Hamas militants killed the Bibas boys, Ariel and Kfir, “with their bare hands” in November 2023. Hamas denied this, insisting they died in an Israeli strike.
Facing domestic pressure, Netanyahu vowed Hamas would pay “the full price” for what he called a violation of the truce.
Since Hamas’s 7 October attack, in which 1,215 people were killed, 251 hostages were taken. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has left at least 48,319 dead in Gaza, according to Hamas-run health ministry figures cited by the UN.