Israel delays release of Palestinian prisoners

Sherine al- Hamamreh , sister of prisoner Izz al- Deen al- Hamamreh left her hometown of Husan town near Bethlehem city at 5:30 GMT on Saturday hoping to meet her brother Izz al-Deen who was sentenced to nine life sentences and spent 21 years in prison.

"We were hoping that Izz al- Deen and his friends would be freed, but we were shocked, as usual, by the occupation's way of dealing - hurting the families, tormenting them, and torturing the prisoners," she said.

Adeeb al Saifi, father of prisoner Ahmad al Saifi , who was sentenced to 20 years and spent 16 years in jail said he'd been waiting for 16 years for this day. "We keep hoping that it will happen soon. This suffering today is a continuation of the suffering we’ve endured over the years of his imprisonment."

Earlier five of the six Israeli hostages freed on Saturday were handed over in staged ceremonies, escorted by masked, armed militants in front of a crowd — a display that the U.N. and Red Cross have criticised as cruel after previous handovers.

The Israeli statement cited “ceremonies that demean the dignity of our hostages and the cynical use of the hostages for propaganda purposes.” It was likely a reference to a Hamas video showing two hostages who have yet to be released watching a handover in Gaza on Saturday and speaking under duress.

The six released on Saturday were the last living hostages expected to be freed under the ceasefire's first phase, with a week remaining in the initial stage. Talks on the ceasefire’s second phase are yet to start. The six included three Israeli men seized from the Nova music festival and another taken while visiting family in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the 16-month war in Gaza. The two others were held for a decade after entering Gaza on their own.

Israel’s government didn’t respond to questions about the delay in releasing prisoners. Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal, with spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanou accusing Netanyahu of “deliberately stalling.”

The 620 Palestinian prisoners meant to be freed include 151 serving life or other sentences for attacks against Israelis. Almost 100 would be deported, according to the Palestinian prisoners' media office.

A Palestinian prisoner rights association said they include Nael Barghouti, who spent over 45 years in prison for an attack that killed an Israeli bus driver.

Also meant to be released are 445 men, 23 children aged 15 to 19, and a woman, all seized by Israeli troops in Gaza without charge during the war.