Israel suspends release of Palestinian detainees: PM's office

JERUSALEM -- Israel announced early Sunday that it had postponed the release of Palestinian detainees, who were set to be freed Saturday under the ceasefire agreement until more hostages are released.

Israel was expected to release about 620 Palestinian detainees on Saturday after Hamas freed six hostages earlier in the day. The six were the final batch of living hostages scheduled to be released in the first phase of the three-phase deal.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that it had been decided to delay the release of Palestinian detainees scheduled for Saturday "until the release of the next hostages is secured, without the disgraceful ceremonies."

The decision followed what the statement described as "Hamas' repeated violations, including the disgraceful (hostage release) ceremonies that dishonor our hostages and the cynical use of hostages for propaganda purposes."

Both Hamas and Israel have been accused of using captives for propaganda, with Hamas parading hostages on stage and Israel attaching derogatory inscriptions to bracelets and T-shirts worn by Palestinian prisoners and photographing them in demeaning poses.

A total of 63 hostages remain in Gaza, with more than half presumed dead, according to Israeli data.