Israel accused of violating Gaza truce by delaying prisoner release

Hamas has condemned Israel for failing to release the seventh batch of Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreed exchange deal, calling it a "blatant violation" of the truce.

“The [Israeli] occupation’s failure to comply with the release of the seventh batch of prisoners in the exchange deal at the agreed-upon time constitutes a blatant violation of the agreement,” Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said in a statement.

He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of engaging in "procrastination and stalling tactics" to undermine the agreement.