Hamas Slams Israel’s Prisoner Release Delay, Citing ‘False Pretexts’
Hamas on Sunday condemned Israel’s decision to postpone the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, accusing Israel of using claims of “humiliating” hostage handover ceremonies as a pretext to avoid its obligations under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
An official statement from Ezzat El Rashq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s move as “a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement, a clear violation of its terms, and a sign of the occupation’s unreliability in fulfilling its commitments.”
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Israel had announced earlier that it was delaying the planned release of 620 Palestinian prisoners and detainees—scheduled for the previous day—until it could secure assurances that the next set of hostages would be released without what it called “humiliating ceremonies.”
Hamas, however, countered that Israeli authorities were subjecting Palestinian inmates to true humiliation by tying their hands, blindfolding them, and threatening them not to celebrate upon release. Hamas has previously been criticized for staging events where hostages or their remains have been paraded before crowds, with some made to speak publicly.
