Jerusalem, Feb 26 (EFE).- Hamas announced Wednesday that it had agreed with Israel to release 602 Palestinian prisoners scheduled to be freed last weekend.
“An agreement was reached to resolve the issue of the delayed release of Palestinian prisoners who were supposed to be freed in the last batch,” Hamas says in a statement.
“They will be released simultaneously with the bodies of the Israeli prisoners agreed upon for transfer during the first phase, in addition to an equivalent number of Palestinian women and children,” it added.
Israel was supposed to release the Palestinian prisoners on Saturday but has refused to do so, citing Hamas’s violations of the agreement in the return of the remains of the three Bibas family , as well as the propaganda ceremonies during the previous phase one hostage releases.
Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli official told local press that Hamas had agreed not to hold such ceremonies; however, similar assurances were made before the release of the Bibas family and the body of Oded Lifshitz, which were not honored, leading Jerusalem to refuse to release the Palestinian prisoners.
In a statement released on its channels at midnight Tuesday, Hamas announced the agreement after explaining that a delegation from the group, led by Khalil al Hayya, visited Cairo, where it met with the Egyptians to discuss “the implementation of the truce, the exchange of prisoners and the prospects for the second phase of negotiations.”
“The delegation of the movement’s leadership stressed its clear position on the need for a full and precise commitment to all its provisions and stages,” Hamas said of the talks.
Israel was supposed to release 620 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Saturday, 445 of whom were arrested in Gaza after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.
However, in the early hours of Sunday morning, the Israeli government announced that the release of Palestinian prisoners would be delayed until “the release of the next hostages is guaranteed and without degrading ceremonies.”
Israel criticizes Hamas for forcing the Israelis, after 16 months of captivity, to go to a podium where they usually greet the Gazan public and make a speech.
Also, the delivery of the four bodies last Thursday, including the children of the Bibas family, was broadcast live and their coffins were placed on a stand.
The disagreements have come amid the negotiations of the second phase of the truce with the mediators – Qatar, Egypt, and the United States – as the first face concludes on Mar. 1, after the last exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. EFE
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