Skip to main content

Hamas halts Gaza truce talks until Israel frees 620 prisoners

Hamas halts Gaza ceasefire talks until Israel frees 620 Palestinian prisoners
MENA
10 min read
23 February, 2025
Israel has postponed the release of 602 Palestinian prisoners which was set for Saturday, claiming this was in response to Hamas 'violations' of the ceasefire

The release of 602 Palestinian prisoners by Israel has been postponed after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza, accused Hamas of "violations" of the ceasefire.

Netanyahu's office claimed that Hamas had handed over Israeli captives in Gaza in a "humiliating" way, using the event for "propaganda purposes".

Hamas, in response, has suspended ceasefire negotiations, with senior official Mahmoud Mardawi declaring that no further talks will take place until Israel fulfills its commitment to release 620 Palestinian detainees. "Netanyahu's decision reflects a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement," the group said in a statement. 

Hamas had released six Israeli captives from the Gaza Strip on Saturday in what was the last captive exchange set out in the first phase of a January ceasefire deal.

In the occupied West Bank, Israel is continuing its attacks, and has announced that a tank platoon will operate in the northern West Bank in the first such deployment since 2002.