Gaza: Israel delays prisoner release after Hamas hands over 6 captives

TNA’s live coverage of the latest from the war on Gaza concludes for today. Join us again at 0800 GMT for updates from the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office has stated that the planned release of Palestinian prisoners on Saturday has been delayed until the next group of hostages is released.

The delay is attributed to what the office described as "Hamas's repeated violations."

More updates to come.

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs has announced that it is preparing to receive the bus carrying the released Palestinian prisoners, according to Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera Arabic.

Further updates are expected.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is conducting security consultations in his office, according to an unnamed minister speaking to the Times of Israel.

The meeting includes key ministers such as Defence Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, as well as Israel's security chiefs.

Earlier reports indicated that the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners had been postponed until the prime minister held these security consultations.

Israeli settlers, accompanied by the military, raided the town of Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank on Saturday evening.

The settlers looted hundreds of livestock in an apparent act of state-backed aggression against Palestinians.

According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, approximately 800 sheep, along with three horses, two donkeys, and water tanks, were stolen from Palestinian residents Nayef Manasra and Abdul Halim Awada.

Following the theft, Israeli forces raided the town, breaking into the home of Issa Khader Yassin and seizing security camera footage from his property.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Hamas will be "destroyed" if it fails to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza.

"Hamas’ treatment of hostages, including its brutal murder of the Bibas family, further illustrates their savagery and is yet another reason why we are saying these terrorists must release all of the hostages immediately or be destroyed," Rubio wrote on X.

Hamas’ treatment of hostages, including its brutal murder of the Bibas family, further illustrates their savagery and is yet another reason why we are saying these terrorists must release all of the hostages immediately or be destroyed.

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 22, 2025

 Yemen's Houthis launched surface-to-air missiles at an American fighter jet and MQ-9 Reaper drone this week, but did not hit either, two US officials told news agency Reuters.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not specify if the attacks occurred over the Red Sea or Yemen itself.

One said the incidents could suggest the Houthis were improving their targeting capabilities.

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who leads the Iran-backed group, said in a televised speech on February 13 that the Houthis would intervene with missiles and drones and attack vessels in the Red Sea if the United States and Israel tried to remove Palestinians from Gaza by force.

Hamas has released a video showing two more hostages, Eviatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, being brought to central Gaza's Nuseirat to witness the release of three other captives, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert, who had been held for 505 days.

In the footage, the two hostages are seen appealing to Israeli officials to secure their release.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum responded, emphasising the "difficult and cruel psychological torment" faced by the remaining hostages, who have endured over 500 days of captivity in "inhuman physical conditions."

"They are running out of time!" the forum stated.

"The Israeli government and the prime minister must expedite the negotiations and bring about the immediate return of all the hostages, without delays and without trickles."

The family of Israeli captive Shiri Bibas, whose body was returned to Israel today, has reportedly requested that no officials from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government attend her funeral, according to Israeli news site Israel Hayom.

Hamas has consistently stated that the captives, including Shiri Bibas, were killed by Israeli air strikes.

The Israeli military says it targeted a Syria-Lebanon border crossing where Hezbollah was allegedly attempting to transport weapons.

A military spokesperson described the move as a "blatant breach of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."

According to Saudi news outlet Al Arabiya, the strike occurred in the eastern Lebanese town of Qousaya.

Israeli hostage Avera Mengistu, released today after more than a decade in captivity, is reportedly in poor condition and barely communicating, according to Israel's Kan public broadcaster.

This comes despite initial footage of his release suggesting he was in stable physical health.

His family is now providing support, the Times of Israel reports.

Kan also states that the four hostages taken on 7 October 2023 and released today described enduring "torture, physical violence, psychological torment, and extreme starvation" during their 16 months in captivity.

The report further notes that hostage Omer Wenkert lost approximately 30 kilograms before Hamas fighters allegedly "fattened" him up prior to his release.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, has urged the UN Security Council to hold an emergency session, asserting that new "findings" confirm Hamas was responsible for the deaths of Shiri Bibas and her children, Kfir and Ariel.

"Hamas murdered Shiri, four-year-old Ariel, and nine-month-old Kfir with their bare hands and abused their bodies as early as November 2023," Danon wrote on X.

Hamas, however, has repeatedly maintained that an Israeli air strike was responsible for the Bibas family’s deaths in the early days of the war.

Zaher Jabarin, the head of Hamas in the occupied West Bank, spoke to Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera about the situation in the Palestinian territory.

He stated that Hamas is working with mediators in Qatar and Egypt to resolve outstanding issues, adding, "Netanyahu’s interest lies in continuing the war because the alternative is for him to go to court."

Jabarin said Hamas has informed mediators and the international community of its readiness to proceed with the second phase of the agreement.

He noted that a ceasefire deal has been under negotiation for 15 months, with its core objective being to end the war.

"If the enemy wants to complete the exchange all at once, we are ready," he added.

Jabarin also claimed that his group treats enemy prisoners with an unprecedented level of humanity, while accusing the opposing side of responding with brutality.

He further stated that the West Bank has a strong resistance force capable of confronting the occupation despite the severity of its actions.

China has reiterated its call for a "complete and effective execution of the ceasefire agreement" and a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, stated that Beijing "opposes the forced displacement of the Palestinian people" and emphasised the need for the ceasefire agreement to be fully implemented.

“Gaza is an integral part of Palestinian territory, and its future should be determined by the will of the Palestinian people,” Wang affirmed.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s proposal to forcibly remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip has triggered widespread condemnation.

A Hamas spokesperson has called Israel's allegations that its fighters brutally killed the Bibas children "baseless lies".

“The false allegations that the criminal [Israeli] occupation is disseminating about the death of the Bibas children at the hands of their captors are merely baseless lies and fabrications,” Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said.

An Israeli military spokesperson claimed yesterday that Hamas fighters killed the children “with their bare hands”.

Hamas has long said that the children, together with their mother Shiri, were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war.

Israel's far-right defence minister Israel Katz has called for the destruction of Hamas in Gaza in a social media post this afternoon.

"We must do everything to bring all the kidnapped, both living and dead, home, and ensure that the rule of the Hamas monsters in Gaza is destroyed and no longer poses a threat to our citizens," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

This evening's security meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will focus on how to free the remaining captives in Gaza, according to Israeli media reports.

The Israeli government has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners today until after the meeting has finished.

Sixty-three Israelis are thought to remain inside Gaza. 

Hamas has offered to release all the remaining captives in one go if Israel agrees to withdraw from Gaza and permanently end the war.

More from Hamas politburo member Basem Naim, who has been speaking to Al Jazeera.

“Unfortunately, Netanyahu and his government have been refusing to engage with the second phase [of the ceasefire] while only one week is left from the first phase. We believe that again, these are dirty games from the right-wing government to sabotage and undermine the deal and to send a message of willingness to go back to war,” he said.

Negotiations over the second phase of the truce were supposed to start on 3 February but Netanyahu has refused to enter serious talks.

Media reports earlier today claimed that talks will begin in Doha next week.

The current six-week ceasefire will elapse on 2 March, but under the agreement the fighting will not resume as long as the two sides are engaged in negotiations to enter the second phase.

Hamas has reiterated its willingness to hand over power in Gaza to a unified Palestinian administration as part of a peace agreement to bring a permanent end to the war.

“We have said many times, even before 7 October, we are willing immediately to leave the governing position in the Gaza Strip and to allow any Palestinian unity government or a technocratic government or any alternative which is decided by Palestinians,” Hamas politburo member Basem Naim told Al Jazeera.

Hamas will continue to use armed resistance to fight for Palestinian statehood, an end to Israel's occupation and the right of return of Palestinian refugees, but is ready to hand responsibility for the delivery of public services like health, education and social affairs to a new administration, he said.

Naim said the group had welcomed an Egyptian proposal to establish a committee with the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza.

Israel has postponed the release of the 620 Palestinian prisoners until after a security consultation taking place with Prime Minister Netanyahu later tonight, according to Israeli media.

A Palestinian recently released after spending more than two decades in an Israeli prison has died after falling from the roof of his house in the town of Isawiya in occupied Jerusalem, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Israel will deport 97 Palestinian prisoners to Egypt after their release later today, the Prisoners' Media Office said in a statement shared on Telegram.

Israel is expected release 620 detainees, including 110 serving life and long-term prison sentences.

Video footage published by the Palestinian Information Centre claims to show the moment that Hamas handed Bedouin Israeli captive Hisham al-Sayed over to the Red Cross earlier today.

Hamas reportedly decided to hand over al-Sayed without a public ceremony out of respect for Palestinians living inside Israel.

#مشاهد| من تسليم كتائب القسام للأسير "هشام السيد" ضمن صفقة التبادل اليوم. pic.twitter.com/6IQ31qijXO

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) February 22, 2025

The UN has begun a new polio vaccination campaign in Gaza today.

The five-day campaign aims to vaccinate more than 591,000 children under 10 years of age against the disease, the World Health Organisation said this week.

International agencies completed two vaccination rounds in September and October last year, successfully inoculating more than 95% of the target despite the catastrophic conditions on the ground imposed by the Israeli military.

The emergency #polio outbreak response in the #Gaza Strip is continuing, with a mass vaccination campaign scheduled from 22 to 26 February 2025.

The polio vaccine will be administered to over 591,000 children under 10 years of age to protect them from polio. This campaign… pic.twitter.com/1llNczu7jJ

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 19, 2025

The sixth Israel prisoner released by Hamas today has returned to Israel, the Israeli army said in a post on X.

Hisham al-Sayed, an Israeli Bedouin, was released separately to the other captives this afternoon and was not handed to the Red Cross in a staged ceremony.

Al-Sayed has been held captive in Gaza for more than a decade.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Iran on Tuesday to discuss Syrian developments with his Iranian counterpart, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

Russia and Iran were the main allies of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Kurdish-led authorities in northeast Syria have begun providing oil from local fields they manage to the central government in Damascus, Syrian oil ministry spokesman Ahmed Suleiman told Reuters on Saturday.

It was the first known delivery from Syria’s oil-rich northeast to the new Islamist-run government.

Suleiman did not provide further details on the deal.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called on the government to agree to enter the second phase of the ceasefire on Saturday.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers in his government have spoken out against the continuation of the ceasefire and have threatened to resume the war when the six-week truce expires on 3 March.

Hamas earlier today reiterated its commitment to proceed with the second stage, release the rest of the captives in one go, and permanently end the war.

The three Israeli captives have arrived back in Israel and are waiting to complete medical checks and meet their families, according the Israeli military.

The Israeli army has confirmed it has received the three captives and is transporting them to Israel, where they will undergo medical checks and meet their families.

שלושה חטופים שבים מלווים כעת על ידי יחידה מובחרת של צה״ל וכוח שב"כ בדרכם ארצה, שם יעברו הערכה רפואית ראשונית וייפגשו עם בני משפחותיהם >>

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 22, 2025

The Israeli prisoners have been handed to the Red Cross, which has now left the handover site to take them to the Israeli army which will transport them out of Gaza.

The three Israeli captives are now being brought onto the stage before being handed to the Red Cross.

They are holding certificates and wave to the crowd.

A Red Cross representative minutes ago signed documents with a Hamas official to receive the prisoners.

Vehicles believed to be carrying three Israeli captives have arrived at the handover site in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, live footage shows.

The prisoners - Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert and Omer Shem Tov - are expected to leave the cars shortly and be brought onto a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross.

The sixth and final captive, Israeli Bedouin Hisham al-Sayed, will be handed to the Red Cross at a different location without a ceremony.

Al Jazeera is reporting that one of the remaining four captives set to be released won't be handed over at the ceremony in Nuseirat refugee camp.

Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin Israeli, has been held in Gaza since 2015 when he entered the territory at the Erez crossing.

Red Cross vehicles have arrived at the location for the second prisoner handover in Gaza, according to live broadcasts of the scene.

Hamas will hand over the final four captives in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

The Palestinian group released the first two captives in Rafah earlier this morning.

Israel is set to free 620 Palestinian prisoners later today in what will be the single-largest release since the ceasefire came into effect last month.

Israeli media is reporting that 445 of those to be released were arrested in Gaza during the war. Fifty are serving life sentences and 60 long-term jail sentences.

Among them is Nael al-Barghouti, the longest-serving Palestinian political prisoner who has spent 44 years in prison.

Hamas reiterated today that it's ready to move to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal and carry out a comprehensive prisoner exchange to achieve a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

(Reuters)

Hamas has handed the first two of the six Israeli prisoners to be freed today to the Red Cross.

A statement from the Israeli military confirmed minutes ago that the two captives - Tal Shoham and Averu Mengistu - had crossed into Israel.

Mengistu - a dual Ethiopian-Israeli national - has reportedly been held in Gaza for more than a decade.

האזרחים השבים מלווים על ידי כוח צה"ל ושב"כ, חצו לפני זמן קצר את הגבול לשטח מדינת ישראל ונמצאים כעת בדרכם לנקודת הקליטה הראשונית במרחב עוטף עזה שם ייפגשו עם בני משפחותיהם.
צה"ל ערוך לקליטת חטופים נוספים שעתידים לעבור לצלב האדום בהמשך

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 22, 2025

Hamas and Israel are set to complete the final prisoner-exchange of the first phase of the fragile Gaza ceasefire on Saturday amid heightened tensions surrounding the misidentification of one of the bodies released by the Palestinian group earlier this week.

Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed from Israeli prisons in exchange for six Israeli captives held by Palestinian factions in Gaza, the last of the 33 prisoners Hamas agreed to hand over as part of the 42-day truce that came into effect in January.