Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu canceled his participation in a ceremony to receive the bodies of four detainees, following protests over the premature release of their names.
Israeli Channel 12 revealed on Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew at the last minute from attending the ceremony to receive the bodies of four detainees as part of the seventh batch in the exchange process with Hamas.
The channel reported that Netanyahu had considered attending the reception on the Israeli side, and preparations were made for his arrival, with instructions issued to field officials. However, the decision was reversed at the last moment.
It was suggested that Netanyahu’s last-minute withdrawal came after the families of Israeli detainees protested the publication of their names before confirming their identities.
They criticized the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office for releasing the names before the final identification from the forensic institute.
📹 Video circulated during preparations in Gaza for the handover of the bodies of four Israeli captives on the 33rd day of the ceasefire. pic.twitter.com/52NovZtBgl
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 20, 2025
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office on the report, which also pointed out that nearly 10 months ago, residents of the settlement of Nir Oz requested Netanyahu’s visit, but he has never been there for over 500 days of war.
The four captives, whose bodies were handed over to the Red Cross in southern Gaza today, are from Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza Strip. Residents of the settlement took part in the ceremony to receive the bodies.
In recent statements, Netanyahu’s office claimed credit for personally overseeing the return of six living prisoners next Saturday and four bodies on Thursday.
📹 Video from Khan Yunis during the handover of the bodies of four Israeli captives shows a banner on the stage reading:
“The war criminal Netanyahu & his Nazi army killed them with missiles from zionist warplanes.” pic.twitter.com/3BHKiLvQvU
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 20, 2025
This morning, the bodies were transferred to the International Red Cross in the Bani Suhaila area of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza.
They belong to three members of the Bibas family and prisoner Oded Lifshitz and were part of the seventh batch of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas, in a statement on Thursday, blamed the Israeli army for the deaths of the four prisoners, accusing it of bombing their detention centers, while claiming that the resistance in Gaza treated them humanely and attempted to rescue them.
(PC, AJA)
