Israel estimates that at least 21 hostages remain alive in terrorist captivity in the Gaza Strip and is therefore determined to secure the release of as many as possible as part of the ongoing deal. However, the decision to eliminate Hamas is final—and has only been reinforced in recent days following the revelation of the horrific story of the Bibas family, whose baby and toddler were murdered at the hands of Islamist terrorists.
The Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday released a statement: “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.”
Israel believes that following the release of the last living hostages from Phase One of the deal, it now has greater flexibility to apply unprecedented pressure on Hamas—leverages that have not been used at any point during the war.
Hamas announced on Sunday morning that the failure to release the security prisoners was a blatant violation of the agreement between the parties and called on the mediators to take immediate action and pressure Israel to fulfill its commitment. According to several security sources who spoke to Haaretz, 444 of the prisoners who were supposed to be released Saturday are Gazans arrested during the war and classified as “not involved in the fighting.”
The same sources added that the list also included 108 security prisoners serving long prison terms, most of them life sentences for terrorist attacks and the murders of Israelis. Additionally, 47 prisoners were previously released in the 2011 Shalit deal but were later re-arrested and convicted again of terrorism-related offenses. The list also includes 23 minors and one woman who were arrested in Gaza after October 7 and were set to be released in exchange for the return of the bodies of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, and Oded Lipshitz.
Over the past two days, the terrorist organization Hamas has committed three severe violations of the agreement. First, it returned the body of a different individual instead of the late hostage Shiri Bibas, whose body was handed over without coordination with Israel in a coffin during Shabbat.
Additionally, the transfer of both deceased and living hostages took place in a shocking and cruel ceremony. In the most recent exchange, Hamas brought out two living hostages, who were not released on Shabbat, forcing them to witness their comrades’ release before returning them to captivity in the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday evening, Hamas released a proof-of-life video featuring hostages Guy Gilboa Dalal and Evyatar David, who were brought to the hostage release ceremony in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip. In the footage, the two plead directly to the camera, begging the prime minister to secure their release.
“Netanyahu, our friends are going home after 500 days that we were with them,” they say in the video. “We are begging you, please, that’s all we want—please save us. Help us, Israel. We want to be like them.”
