After Hamas propaganda

Israel postpones release of prisoners

Following repeated violations by Hamas, such as ceremonies to humiliate Israeli hostages, Israel is now postponing the release of Palestinian hostages.(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Following the release of six more Israeli hostages by the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel is postponing the release of Palestinian prisoners. This was announced by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday night. 

The reason was the "repeated violations by Hamas, including the ceremonies to humiliate our hostages and the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes", it said.

Israel had therefore decided "to postpone the release of the terrorists planned for Saturday until the release of the next hostages is secured, without the humiliating ceremonies".

Preparations canceled
Hamas had handed over six more hostages to representatives of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The release of the Israelis was part of an agreement with Israel in which a ceasefire was also agreed.

On Saturday, Hamas handed over six hostages to the Red Cross. However, Israel is now postponing the release of Palestinian prisoners.(Bild: AFP)

In return, according to Palestinian sources, Israel was supposed to release around 600 imprisoned Palestinians as part of the ceasefire agreement. These include 50 with life sentences. According to eyewitnesses, preparations for the release of the prisoners were interrupted in the evening.

Hamas propaganda video causes horror
Masked and armed Hamas fighters in uniforms staged the handover of the six Israeli hostages in Rafah and Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip on Saturday with onlookers, loud music and Palestinian flags.

The abductees were paraded on stages. They were visibly instructed by their armed guards to smile and wave to the waiting crowd.

In the evening, Israeli media broadcast a propaganda video showing two Israeli hostages being forced by Hamas to watch the release of their compatriots in Nuseirat from a vehicle at close range, while they themselves remained in the hands of the terrorist organization. "This calculated act of psychological torture is a blatant example of cruelty," reads a statement from the Forum of Hostage Relatives.