Hamas says no Gaza ceasefire talks unless Israel releases prisoners

Hamas has stated that negotiations with Israel regarding the next steps of a Gaza ceasefire agreement depend on the release of Palestinian prisoners as per the agreement. Hamas emphasized that further discussions on other issues can only proceed after the prisoners are released.

Israel stated on Sunday that it would postpone the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the previously released six living and four deceased hostages. Israel accused Hamas of multiple violations, including holding "humiliating" handover ceremonies. Israel views Hamas's actions as an insult to the hostages and an exploitation for propaganda purposes.

A senior Hamas official stated that Israel's decision puts the entire agreement in "grave danger" and called on mediators, particularly the United States, to pressure Israel. The official emphasized that the smooth progress of the agreement requires all parties to adhere to their commitments.

The first phase of the agreement and the six-week temporary truce are scheduled to expire on Saturday, but indirect negotiations on the second phase and ending the war have not yet begun. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the ceasefire is "fragile" and that a resumption of hostilities must be avoided at all costs. He also called for the "dignified release of all remaining hostages."

On Saturday, the sixth and final week of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas released six living Israeli hostages. As with many previous handovers, five of them were taken to a stage next to armed personnel before being transferred to the Red Cross and taken to Israel. Later, Hamas released a video showing two other hostages watching one of the handover ceremonies in a car and seemingly pleading with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to let them out as well. A forum representing the hostages' families condemned the video as a "disgusting display of cruelty."

Previously, Hamas returned the remains of four hostages earlier this week, including those of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which has already caused outrage in Israel. On Friday, reports emerged that Hamas handed over the remains of a Palestinian woman instead of Ms. Bibas's remains. The group said a mistake had occurred and transferred Ms. Bibas's remains later that day. Israeli authorities also stated that autopsies showed that Ariel and Kfir's kidnappers killed the two boys "with their bare hands," contradicting Hamas's claim that they died in an Israeli airstrike.

Israel was originally scheduled to release 620 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 10 hostages. More than 400 of them were Gazans detained by Israeli forces during the war, while 50 prisoners were serving time in Israeli prisons. They were reportedly already on buses at a prison in the occupied West Bank when the order to suspend the release was received, while Netanyahu was consulting with ministers. Early Sunday, the Prime Minister's Office said that given Hamas's repeated violations, including the ceremonies that humiliated our hostages and the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes, the release would be postponed. "It has been decided to postpone the release of the terrorists that was scheduled for yesterday until we are assured that the next batch of hostages is released and that there are no humiliating ceremonies."

Hamas condemned Israel's decision as a "blatant violation" of the agreement and warned mediators from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt that negotiations to extend the ceasefire could not take place until the prisoners were released. Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim said in an interview with Al Jazeera: "We have conveyed a clear and strong signal to the mediators - if these 620 Palestinians are not released, we cannot continue to discuss any further steps." When asked whether the remains of another four Israeli hostages scheduled to be released on Thursday would be affected, he replied that "all options are on the table." He added: "We must ensure that the past step happens before we move on to the next step." Naim said Netanyahu had clearly sent a strong signal that he intended to undermine the agreement and was creating an atmosphere for a return to war. "So what guarantee is there that he might take another four bodies and again not release the agreed number of Palestinians, and these 620 Palestinians?"

Naim said Hamas had discussed Israel's complaints about the hostage handover ceremonies but denied that the ceremonies were humiliating, and claimed that Israeli authorities had abused the Palestinian prisoners before their release. The White House supported Israel's decision to postpone the release of prisoners, calling it an "appropriate response" to Hamas's "barbaric treatment" of hostages. But President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said he would travel to the region this week with the aim of "extending Phase One." He told CNN on Sunday: "We hope we have enough time... to start Phase Two, complete it and release more hostages."

In the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, a total of 33 Israeli hostages were supposed to be exchanged for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza. So far, 25 living hostages and four deceased hostages have been released, and the remains of the final four hostages are scheduled to be handed over this week. Five living Thai hostages have also been released outside of the agreement. The agreement has also led to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from densely populated areas of Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been allowed to return to their homes in the north, and hundreds of aid trucks are now allowed to enter the territory every day.

The second phase of the ceasefire should see the release of the remaining hostages, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a permanent ceasefire. The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 people hostage. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory, at least 48,346 people have been killed in Gaza since then. Much of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times, an estimated nearly 70% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, health care, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed, and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.