Hamas Won’t Engage in Further Ceasefire Talks Until Israel Releases 602 Palestinian Detainees: Official

Gaza (Quds News Network)- Member of Hamas’s political bureau, Basem Naim, has said the Palestinian group will not engage in further ceasefire discussions until Israel frees the 620 Palestinian detainees who were supposed to be released on Saturday under the deal that took effect in January.

“We have conveyed a clear and strong message to the mediators – we cannot continue discussing any further steps if these 620 Palestinians are not released,” Naim said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday.

Asked if the scheduled release of the bodies of another four Israeli captives on Thursday could be affected, he replied that “all options are on the table”.

“Before going to the next step, we have to be sure that the past step [will happen],” he added.

“Netanyahu is clearly sending strong messages that he is intentionally sabotaging the deal, he is preparing the atmosphere for returning back to the war. Therefore, what are the guarantees that he might take the other four bodies and again not release the agreed-upon number of Palestinians, plus the 620 Palestinians?”

Israel has suspended the release of 602 Palestinian detainees as part of the seventh batch of the prisoner exchange deal under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, allegedly accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire, despite the latter having handed over six Israeli captives earlier on Saturday.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced overnight into Sunday that it would postpone the release of Palestinian detainees, using unsubstantiated claims of Hamas violating the ceasefire agreement as justification.

Accusing Hamas of so-called “humiliating ceremonies” and the “cynical use of hostages for propaganda,” Netanyahu’s office declared that the scheduled release of Palestinian detainees on Saturday would be delayed until Israel secures the next batch of captives.

“In light of Hamas’s repeated violations, including the ceremonies that humiliate our hostages and the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes, it has been decided to delay the release of terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies,” the office’s statement claimed.

Hamas has condemned Israel for failing to release the seventh batch of Palestinian detainees as part of the agreed exchange deal, calling it a “blatant violation” of the truce.

“While Hamas responded to the efforts of mediators to make the exchange a success, war criminal Netanyahu continues to procrastinate,” Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said in a statement on Saturday.

“We call on the mediators and guarantors of the agreement to exert pressure on the occupation to respect the agreement and implement its provisions without procrastination.”

One of the six captives released on Saturday, Omer Shem Tov, kissed the foreheads of two Hamas fighters before his release during the handover.

The emotional gesture has gone viral, with the video circulating widely across Arabic and Hebrew media. Many have highlighted the gesture as a genuine expression of gratitude. The incident has also raised questions about the broader Israeli narrative and the treatment of prisoners.

In response to the handover accusations, Hamas said on Sunday, “The occupation’s claim that “handover ceremonies are humiliating” is a baseless accusation and a flimsy excuse designed to evade its obligations under the agreement.”

“The captive handover ceremony does not include any insult to them, but rather reflects the noble humane treatment of them.”

“The true humiliation lies in what our detainees endure during the release process—torture, beatings, and intentional degradation until the very last moment.”

“Palestinian detainees are released with their hands bound and eyes blindfolded, while their families are threatened with the prohibition of any celebrations to welcome their freed loved ones.”

Netanyahu’s decision, the group said, “reflects a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement and is a clear violation of its terms. It highlights the occupation’s unreliability in fulfilling its commitments.”

Hamas has called on mediators and the international community to take responsibility and pressure the “occupation to implement the agreement and release the detainees without any further delay.”

Naim also said Hamas had discussed Israel’s complaints about the captive handover ceremonies, but denied they had been humiliating and said that Israel had mistreated Palestinian detainees before they were released.