Israel on Saturday suspended the release of Palestinian prisoners in the seventh batch in the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, citing Hamas' delivery of a wrong body instead of detained Israeli Shiri Bibas on Thursday.
According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Israeli officials said the government decided to halt the release after Hamas handed over the body of a Palestinian woman in place of Bibas.
On Thursday, Israel received four bodies as part of the ongoing exchange. The Israeli Forensic Institute confirmed that three of them belonged to Oded Lifshitz, Kfir Bibas, and Ariel Bibas, as agreed upon. However, the fourth body did not belong to Shiri Bibas.
On Friday, Hamas delivered Bibas' body, which was later identified by the Israeli Forensic Institute.
Earlier, KAN reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held security consultations on Saturday evening regarding negotiations for the second phase of the Gaza agreement, delaying the prisoner exchange.
Israeli authorities were set to release 620 Palestinian prisoners as part of the seventh batch of the first phase of the deal.
Earlier in the day, Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, handed over six Israeli captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Rafah, Nuseirat, and Gaza City.
The ceasefire deal took effect last month, halting Israel's genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,300 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
