Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the fifth day of testimony in his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024.
THE HILL | Published January 30, 2025
Israel will delay the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails amid chaotic scenes surrounding Hamas’s release of hostages it kidnapped from Israel and held since its terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
The release of Palestinian prisoners would be delayed until the “safe exit of our hostages in the next phases is assured,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said in a statement posted on X.
“Israel demands that the mediators see to this,” the statement continued. The U.S., Qatar and Egypt are the primary mediators of the ceasefire deal.
Video circulated on social media showed hostages forced to walk between surging crowds, guarded by masked gunmen before being handed over to the International Red Cross, which is helping facilitate the transfers.
“I view with great severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said, the Times of Israel reported. “This is further proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organization.”
It is not initially clear how the prime minister’s statement will impact the truce, which has continued for nearly two weeks since it went into effect on Jan 19.
The first phase of the ceasefire is expected to last for six weeks, with Hamas releasing 33 hostages in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The hostages released during this phase are expected to include women, elderly men, and those needing medical attention, and the bodies of hostages.
During the first phase, negotiators are supposed to begin talks on a second phase of a ceasefire deal that would allow for the release of more hostages held by Hamas, including Israeli soldiers. Among the Israeli soldiers held by Hamsa include an American, Edan Alexander.
President Trump’s Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday. Witkoff also reportedly traveled with the Israeli Defense Forces into territory they control in the Gaza Strip, marking the first visit by a senior U.S. official to the territory in a decade.
“Implementation here is the critical thing. The execution of the agreement was important, it was a first step, but without the implementation correct, we’re not going to get it right, we’re going to have a flare up and that’s not a good thing,” Witkoff said Wednesday, speaking at a New York Synagogue.
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SOURCE: www.thehill.com
RELATED: Israel says it’s holding up release of Palestinian prisoners until safety of future releases can be guaranteed
Islamic Jihad and Hamas gunmen as they prepare to hand over Israeli and Thai hostage to a Red Cross team in Khan Yunis on January 30, 2025 (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
THE TIMES OF ISRAEL | Published January 30, 2025
Israel confirms that it has delayed a slated release of Palestinian prisoners in protest of the chaotic scenes at the handover of several hostages in Khan Younis earlier today.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, ordered a delay in the release of terrorists slated to be freed today — until the safe passage of our hostages can be guaranteed in the next releases,” Netanyahu’s office says in a statement.
“Israel demands that the mediators achieve this,” the statement adds.
The release today of three Israeli hostages comes in response to an Israeli demand following the failure of Hamas to free civilian Arbel Yehoud on Saturday. Israel held up the opening of a road to northern Gaza until today’s release was announced.
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SOURCE: www.timesofisrael.com
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