Ceasefire negotiations stalled as Israel, Hamas trade accusations

Israel will delay the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners over what Israel sees as Hamas’ repeated violation of the ceasefire agreement, according to a weekend statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel plans to withhold the prisoners until Hamas agrees to release more hostages and end what Netanyahu characterized as the humiliating parades hostages have previously endured before their release.

Israel Defense Forces also plan to remain in southwest Syria for an indefinite period in order to protect Israeli settlements within the region, Netanyahu told IDF troops on Sunday. Southern Syria must be demilitarized and Israel will not tolerate any threat within the region, the prime minister added.

How has Hamas responded? Hamas leaders will not move forward with ceasefire negotiations if the promised Palestinian prisoners are not released, Hamas political bureau senior member Basem Naim told Al Jazeera on Monday. Hamas believed Israel was intentionally trying to sabotage the ceasefire with dirty games in order to return to war, Naim told Al Jazeera in a Saturday interview.

What about the latest release of hostages? The announcement came after the terror group released six hostages–two of whom had been held for over a decade–and the remains of four deceased hostages late last week. Hamas sparked Israeli rage after it released the body of an unknown Palestinian woman instead of the captive, Shiri Bibas. Netanyahu viewed the incident—which Hamas characterized as an accidental mix-up—as a violation of the ceasefire treaty, which Hamas denied. The terror group eventually released Shiri’s body on Friday night and Israeli officials positively confirmed her identity.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report for more about Hamas withholding Shiri’s body.