Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners Citing Hamas’ ‘Degrading Ceremonies’

By: Fern Sidman

In a significant development in the ongoing Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday, that the release of over 600 convicted Palestinian  prisoners would be delayed indefinitely. As the BBC reported, Netanyahu’s decision follows what he described as the “degrading ceremonies” orchestrated by Hamas during previous hostage releases.

The decision comes just after the return of six Israeli hostages, including four who were kidnapped during Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the information provided in the BBC report on Saturday, Netanyahu stated that Israel would not proceed with the planned prisoner release until Hamas guarantees the next handover of hostages without any further exploitative propaganda displays.

Hamas has repeatedly been accused of manipulating hostage releases for propaganda purposes. Israeli officials have condemned the Iranian-backed terrorists group for staging theatrical and humiliating events in which hostages are forced to display gratitude toward their captors.

In an especially cruel act, Hamas reportedly forced Israeli hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David to attend a staged “release ceremony” on Saturday, only to then return them to captivity. Published reports indicated that some of the freed hostages recounted being coerced into writing thank-you letters to Hamas, while others were made to kiss their captors’ hands before being allowed to leave Gaza. These tactics, according to Netanyahu, constitute a breach of the ceasefire agreement and further justify Israel’s decision to halt the prisoner release.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement was set to conclude on Saturday, with another round of prisoner and hostage exchanges scheduled to follow. However, as the BBC report noted, Netanyahu’s statement has cast doubt over the continuation of the deal.

Mediators are now working against the clock to salvage the agreement and prevent its total collapse. According to the report on the BBC, Hamas has accused Israel of violating the agreement by delaying the release of Palestinian prisoners, though it has yet to issue an official response to Netanyahu’s decision.

At present, the second phase of the ceasefire is supposed to begin on March 1. However,  there have been no official arrangements for the release of more living hostages, raising concerns about whether the fragile truce will hold.

The six Israeli hostages released on Saturday included four young people who were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7—Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert, as was reported by the BBC. The other two, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, had been held in Gaza for years, with Mengistu having been taken captive in 2014 and al-Sayed in 2015.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that a large crowd had gathered outside Ofer Prison in Israel’s Judea and Samaria region, anticipating the release of Palestinian prisoners. Among them was an 80-year-old mother in Khan Younis, Gaza, who told the AFP news agency she “can’t believe” that her son was finally set to be freed after serving 33 years behind bars.

According to Palestinian authorities, 50 of the prisoners who were to be released were serving life sentences, while 60 had long-term sentences. Additionally, 445 of them had been arrested after the October 7 attack. This complex prisoner landscape further complicates negotiations between the two sides.

While 62 hostages taken on October 7 remain in Hamas captivity, the BBC report indicated that only about half are believed to be alive. The remaining captives are expected to be freed in a later phase of the ceasefire agreement, yet no concrete plans have been made.

As the BBC reported, while initial exchanges were marked by chaos, recent handovers have become increasingly orchestrated, with hostages paraded on stages, flanked by armed Hamas fighters, before being transferred, the BBC report noted.

On Saturday, two of the released hostages, 40-year-old Tal Shoham and 39-year-old Avera Mengistu, were handed over to the Red Cross in Rafah, southern Gaza, before being transferred to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The BBC highlighted that Shoham had been visiting family at Kibbutz Be’eri when he, along with his wife and two children, was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. While his family members were freed after 50 days in captivity, Shoham’s release came only now.

His family expressed their relief and mixed emotions in a statement: “This is an unforgettable moment, where all emotions are rapidly mixing together. Our Tal is with us,” the BBC reported.

Another key figure among the released hostages was Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli who had been held by Hamas since September 2014.  Mengistu had entered Gaza of his own accord, reportedly struggling with mental health issues at the time. Alongside him, Hamas also freed Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab Israeli who had similarly wandered into Gaza in 2015 and was taken captive.

The release of al-Sayed took place privately in Gaza City, according to the BBC, and his family issued a heartfelt statement after his return: “After nearly a decade of fighting for Hisham’s return, the long-awaited moment has arrived. During these days, we need privacy for Hisham and the entire family so we can begin to care for Hisham and ourselves.”

Meanwhile, in Nuseirat, central Gaza, Hamas released three additional hostages: 22-year-old Omer Shem Tov, 27-year-old Eliya Cohen, and 23-year-old Omer Wenkert. As the BBC reported, all three had been captured during the Nova music festival, where Hamas terrorists launched a brutal and sadistic massacre of Israelis and others on October 7, killing hundreds of attendees.

Shem Tov had initially managed to flee the attack by car but was captured when he returned to rescue his friends. Cohen had hidden in a shelter at the festival with his girlfriend, Ziv Abud, but was discovered by Hamas and taken hostage, while Abud survived a bombing of the shelter and escaped. Wenkert, in his last known contact with his family, had sent a text message saying he was heading to a safe location, but soon after, communication was lost.

The BBC report described how crowds in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square erupted in cheers as they watched the live feed of the hostages being freed. However, the celebrations were tempered with urgency, as the families of those still held captive pleaded for the release of all remaining hostages.

The families of the released hostages made it clear that their relief was incomplete as long as many others remained in Hamas captivity. As the BBC reported, Shoham’s family urged Israeli and international negotiators to intensify efforts to bring all hostages home.

“Our only request is to seize this window of opportunity to secure a deal that will… return all hostages home,” they said.

Among those still held captive is 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander, who was taken on October 7. His mother, Yael Alexander, told the BBC that while she was happy to see hostages being freed, the waiting was agonizing for families like hers.

“There are more than dozens of young men alive, like my son, still waiting to be released,” she said. “This is the main goal, to release the live people now from Gaza.”

The hopeful scenes of Saturday’s releases stood in stark contrast to earlier in the week when the bodies of several hostages were returned. As the BBC detailed, Hamas handed over the remains of Shiri Bibas, her two young sons, and another hostage, Oded Lifschitz. Their deaths were yet another painful reminder of the ongoing suffering inflicted by Hamas’ October 7 attacks.

According to the BBC, approximately 1,200 people—mostly civilians—were savagely murdered in the Hamas assault on Israel, with 251 others taken hostage. While the recent ceasefire has led to some hostages being freed, dozens remain in captivity, their fates uncertain.

The hostage-prisoner exchanges mark a pivotal moment in the ongoing ceasefire, but the situation remains fragile. As the BBC has reported, the first phase of releases is nearing completion, and all eyes are now on the next steps in negotiations. With over 60 hostages still held by Hamas—about half of whom are believed to be alive—there is growing pressure to secure a more comprehensive agreement that ensures their safe return.

For families of the remaining captives, the struggle is far from over. While some rejoice, others continue to wait in anguish, hoping that their loved ones will soon be brought home.