Hamas links talks with Israel to prisoner release

Talks with Israel through mediators on further steps in a ceasefire agreement are conditional on Palestinian prisoners being released as agreed, Hamas official Basem Naim said on Sunday.

Israel said on Sunday it was delaying the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners it had planned to free the day before until militant group Hamas met its conditions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that Israel was waiting to deliver the 620 Palestinian prisoners and detainees "until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies."

That was a reference to recent handovers by Hamas that U.N. officials said went against international law because they were not respectful.

The White House on Sunday backed Israel's decision to delay releasing the Palestinian prisoners, citing the "barbaric treatment" of Israeli hostages by Hamas. The delay was an "appropriate response" to the Palestinian militant group's treatment of the hostages, a statement from National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.

President Donald Trump is prepared to support Israel in "whatever course of action it chooses regarding Hamas," he added.

Hamas has made hostages appear on stage in front of crowds and sometimes speak before they were handed over. Coffins with hostage remains have also been carried through crowds.

"Any talks with the enemy through mediators regarding any upcoming steps are conditional on the release of the 620 Palestinian prisoners agreed upon in exchange for the four bodies and the six Israeli captives who were freed on Saturday," Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau, told Reuters.

"The mediators must ensure that the enemy adheres to the terms of the agreement as stated in the agreed-upon text."

Israeli 'state terrorism'

The Palestinian Prisoner's Society, a local group that supports Palestinian prisoners, said Israel is practicing "state-terrorism against the prisoners and their families".

Ghasan Washahi, whose brother was set to be released on Saturday, said his family was disappointed with the delay.

"Every time there was a list of prisoners set to be released, we would wait, hoping Islam's name would be among them, but it was never there," he said, referring to his brother.

"My mother even started losing hope that he would be freed in the deal. And when his name finally appeared, Israel halted the deal."

Israel and Hamas have frequently accused each other of violations since the ceasefire started on Jan. 19 but it has so far continued to hold. Hamas at one stage said it would stop handing over hostages because of alleged Israeli breaches.

The ceasefire has brought a pause in the fighting, but prospects of a definitive end to the war remain unclear.

Both sides have said they intend to start talks on a second stage, which mediators say aims to agree the return of all remaining hostages and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops.

The Israeli offensive has killed at least 48,000 people since last October, Palestinian health authorities say, and reduced much of the enclave to rubble, leaving some hundreds of thousands in makeshift shelters and dependent on aid trucks.