DaysofPal – The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas strongly condemned Israel’s decision to delay the release of Palestinian prisoners, accusing the Israeli occupation of deception and evading its commitments under the negotiated prisoner exchange deal.
Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq criticized Israel’s justification for postponing the release, calling it a fabricated excuse to stall the agreement.
“The claim that the release ceremonies are ‘humiliating’ is baseless and a weak pretext meant to evade commitments,” al-Rishq said in a statement received by Days of Palestine.
“These ceremonies do not degrade the prisoners in any way; rather, they highlight the humane and dignified treatment they receive upon release.”
Delayed 7th Phase
The latest round of prisoner exchanges was supposed to take place on Saturday, with 602 Palestinian detainees set to be freed as part of the seventh phase of the “Flood of Freedom” deal
. The exchange followed Hamas’ release of six Israeli prisoners from Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
However, Israel backtracked. Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the release was postponed until further guarantees were secured for future Israeli prisoner releases—and until celebrations for freed Palestinian prisoners were minimized.
Harsh Conditions
Al-Rishq dismissed Israel’s claims as misleading, asserting that the real humiliation occurs during the actual release process.
“Our prisoners endure torture, beatings, and deliberate humiliation up until their last moments in Israeli custody,” he said.
“They are released in shackles, blindfolded, and their families are threatened with consequences if they hold any public celebrations.”
Calls for International Action
Hamas accused Netanyahu of deliberately undermining the agreement, calling it a blatant breach of the deal’s terms.
The movement urged mediators and the international community to hold Israel accountable and pressure it into fulfilling its commitments without further delays.
The latest list of Palestinian prisoners awaiting release includes 50 detainees serving life sentences, 60 others with lengthy prison terms, and 41 individuals who were previously freed in the 2011 “Shalit deal” but later rearrested by Israel. Additionally, 445 detainees from Gaza, arrested after October 7, remain imprisoned.
As tensions rise over the stalled prisoner exchange, the fate of hundreds of detainees hangs in uncertainty—caught between diplomatic negotiations and Israel’s shifting conditions.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=60837
