The prisoners' deal on the line... What is Israel hiding?

In a surprising move, Israel postponed the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners it had agreed to free, conditioning it on the return of four detainees in exchange for implementing the agreement.

This delay comes after Hamas handed over 6 Israeli detainees in the first stage of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on January 19, 2025.

In an official statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office claimed that the decision to postpone was due to what he described as "repeated and humiliating violations" by Hamas, without specifying the nature of those violations.

On the other hand, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem considered the postponement of releasing the Palestinian prisoners a "clear violation" of the ceasefire agreement, emphasizing that the movement informed the mediators of the necessity to implement the release without additional conditions.

He added in statements to Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath that Hamas is ready to respond to the mediators' proposals, but it will not accept any attempts to circumvent the agreement.

With the handover of the six prisoners, Hamas has completed the last agreed-upon batch in the first stage, while Israeli estimates indicate that 62 Israelis are still held captive in Gaza, including 35 who were killed according to Israeli army data.

Will the pressure succeed in pushing Israel to fulfill its commitments, or will the delay open a new door of tensions in the already complex scene?