Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended the release of the seventh batch of Palestinian detainees under the first phase of the prisoner exchange deal. He stated that the delay would remain in place “until the release of the next batch of Israeli hostages is guaranteed without provocative ceremonies.”
Netanyahu accused Hamas of repeatedly violating the agreement through “provocative ceremonies” and using hostages for propaganda. In a separate statement, he reiterated that the postponement would continue until the next group of Israeli detainees is freed under conditions acceptable to Israel.
Abdul Latif Al-Qanou, spokesperson for Hamas, condemned the delay, calling it a “flagrant violation of the agreement.” He stated that while Hamas had cooperated with mediators to facilitate the exchange process, Netanyahu was “procrastinating and delaying” the agreed-upon prisoner releases. Al-Qanou urged mediators and guarantors to pressure Israel to comply with the ceasefire agreement and implement its terms without delay.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoners Club described Israel’s delay in releasing the seventh batch of detainees as “organized terrorism” and an abuse of both the released prisoners and their families.
On the ground in Gaza, the Ministry of Health reported that 10 more bodies were recovered from the rubble in the past 24 hours. This brings the total death toll from Israeli military operations in Gaza since 7 October 2023, to 48,339, with 111,753 reported injuries.
