Israel delays Palestinian prisoner launch as hostages freed

Israel says it’s indefinitely delaying the discharge of greater than 600 Palestinian prisoners, in one other doubtlessly main setback within the ceasefire course of.

It got here after six Israeli hostages, together with 4 kidnapped throughout the 7 October 2023 lethal Hamas assault on Israel, had been launched on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the discharge of the Palestinian prisoners was now going to be delayed till the subsequent handover of hostages by Hamas was assured – and with out what he referred to as the degrading ceremonies that Hamas has placed on every week.

There’s just one extra handover of hostages due within the first section of the ceasefire, involving 4 of the hostages who’ve died in captivity.

No preparations for the discharge of different residing hostages, as a consequence of happen in section two of the ceasefire, have but been made.

Mediators can be working additional time to attempt to get the deal again on monitor and avert a attainable collapse of the ceasefire.

Netanyahu accused Hamas of “repeated violations”, together with the “cynical use of the hostages for propaganda functions”.

His assertion got here after 4 hostages who had been taken captive throughout the Nova music pageant – Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert – had been launched on Saturday.

The 2 different launched hostages, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, had been held in Gaza for years – Mr Mengistu since 2014 and Mr al-Sayed since 2015.

The six Israeli hostages are the ultimate residing hostages to be returned as a part of the primary section of a ceasefire deal which is about to finish subsequent Saturday.

In the meantime exterior the Ofer Jail within the occupied West Financial institution, household and pals waited for the discharge of Palestinian prisoners.

An 80-year-old mom in Khan Younis, Gaza, advised the AFP information company that she “cannot consider” her son could be free after 33 years in jail.

By the night, Hamas accused Israel of violating the settlement by delaying the discharge.

There was no speedy response from Hamas to Netanyahu’s assertion.

In response to Palestinian authorities, 50 of the prisoners who had been going to be launched had been serving life sentences, 60 had lengthy sentences, and 445 had been detained by Israel since 7 October.

There are 62 hostages taken on 7 October 2023 who’re nonetheless being held by Hamas, round half of whom are believed to be alive. Extra are set to be freed within the subsequent section of the three-stage ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which is scheduled to begin on 1 March.

Hamas started releasing hostages, facilitated by the Purple Cross, in alternate for Palestinian prisoners after the ceasefire settlement took impact on 19 January.

Preliminary chaotic scenes have turn into extra choreographed, with hostages flanked by fighters on levels earlier than the handovers.

On Saturday, Mr Shoham, 40, and Mr Mengistu, 39, had been handed to the Purple Cross in Rafah, south Gaza earlier than being transferred to the Israel Protection Forces (IDF).

Mr Shoham was visiting household at Kibbutz Be’eri in October 2023 when he and others, together with his spouse and two youngsters, had been kidnapped by Hamas. His captured members of the family had been launched after 50 days.

In a press release, his household mentioned: “That is an unforgettable second, the place all feelings are quickly mixing collectively. Our Tal is with us.”

Mr Mengistu, who’s Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held by Hamas since September 2014 when he crossed into northern Gaza.

He and Mr al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab Israeli who entered Gaza in 2015, had each suffered with psychological well being issues previously, in response to their households.

Mr al-Sayed’s launch was carried out privately in Gaza Metropolis on Saturday.

“After almost a decade of preventing for Hisham’s return, the long-awaited second has arrived,” his household mentioned in a press release.

“Throughout today, we’d like privateness for Hisham and all the household so we are able to start to look after Hisham and ourselves.”

Individually, at Nuseirat in central Gaza, Mr Shem Tov, 22, Mr Cohen, 27, and Mr Wenkert, 23, had been freed in one other public present by Hamas.

All three had been taken captive on the Nova music pageant.

Mr Shem Tov had initially escaped by automotive when Hamas fighters descended on the pageant, however was captured when he went again to rescue his pals.

Mr Cohen had hid along with his girlfriend, Ziv Abud, in a shelter on the pageant, however was found and pushed away. The shelter was bombed, however Ms Abud survived and escaped.

Mr Wenkert managed to ship textual content messages to his household when festival-goers had been being attacked, to inform them he was going to a protected shelter, however they misplaced contact with him.

Crowds in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Sq. greeted the general public releases with cheers as they watched them unfold on a dwell feed.

Households celebrating the return of the six males referred to as for all remaining hostages to be launched.

“Our solely request is to grab this window of alternative to safe a deal that can… return all hostages residence,” Mr Shoham’s household mentioned.

Remaining hostages embrace Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier captured on 7 October.

His mom, Yael Alexander, who was watching Saturday’s hostage launch, advised the BBC it was “superb” to see them freed, however for her household it’s “very powerful” ready.

“There are greater than dozens of younger males alive, like my son, nonetheless ready to be launched,” she mentioned. “That is the primary purpose, to launch the dwell folks now from Gaza.”

Saturday’s joyful scenes contrasted with earlier this week, when the our bodies of hostages Shiri Bibas, her two younger sons and one other captive Oded Lifschitz had been returned to Israel.

About 1,200 folks – principally civilians – had been killed within the Hamas assaults on 7 October 2023 and 251 others taken again to Gaza as hostages.

Israel launched a large navy marketing campaign in opposition to Hamas in response, which has killed at the least 48,319 Palestinians – primarily civilians – in response to the Hamas-run well being ministry.