Live: Israel delays release of 602 Palestinian prisoners

The Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi said the army is "preparing offensive plans" despite continuing efforts to return the remaining Israeli captives held in Gaza.

In a post on the military's account on X, Halevi said that it is the army's “duty to bring everyone back".

“We are investing in many efforts for this purpose, and at the same time, we are preparing offensive plans,” Halevi said.

Israeli forces have stormed the homes of recently freed Palestinian detainees in the occupied West Bank, Wafa new agency reported, citing local sources.

According to the sources, Israeli forces raided the home of 45-year-old Mazen al-Qadi in al-Bireh, along with several other detainees' houses.

The Palestinian prisoners' media office has said that the poor health of the recently released Palestinian prisoners indicates the “extent of the crimes and violations inside the prisons”.

The organisation reported that Israeli authorities “deliberately insulted and assaulted the prisoners until the moment of their release”.

“The effects of torture and oppression were clear on the prisoners’ bodies, which calls for a firm stance to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes,” it said in a statement.

The organisation called on the international community to reject a "double standard" in the handling of Palestinian and Israeli captives.

“Just as the occupation demands the return of its prisoners, our prisoners have the right to freedom and dignity, and denying that is collusion with the executioner,” it said.

US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that Israel has yet to decide on what they will do regarding the 12pm (5pm GMT) "deadline" for the release of "all hostages" in an apparent reference to the ultimatum he had issued demanding the release of all captives by Saturday midday.

Trump warned that if Hamas failed to do so, "all hell will break loose".

“The United States will back the decision they make,” he added on Truth Social.

The death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since 7 October 2023 has risen after a total of 25 deaths were recorded in Gaza hospitals over the last 28 hours, the enclave's health ministry has said.

The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that the latest deaths brought the overall toll to at least 48,264, with another 111,688 wounded.

According to the government media office, the actual death toll is likely as high as 61,000, as thousands of victims remain trapped under the rubble.

Recently released Palestinian prisoners were greeted by jubilant crowds of loved ones as they arrived at the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis.

Many wore shirts branded with the Star of David along with the words "We will not forget or forgive" in Arabic.

One released prisoner told Al Jazeera Arabic that he was "isolated from the world" and suffering from "extremely difficult" conditions in Israel's Nafha desert prison, as the authorities had cut water and electricity.

Buses carrying 333 recently released Palestinian prisoners have arrived in southern Gaza's Khan Younis.

Twenty-two bakeries across Gaza are now in operation, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has said.

The organisation reopened a kitchen in northern Gaza's Beit Lahia earlier this week. It has the capacity to produce 20,000 meals a day.

Meanwhile, another kitchen, capable of serving 15000 meals a day, was opened in Rafah.

Four of the released Palestinian prisoners who arrived in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, have been immediately transferred to a hospital due to the severity of their health conditions, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported.

Prisoners previously released from Israeli jails have shown signs of severe torture, disease and starvation.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), some of the freed Palestinian prisoners are in extremely poor health.

One former detainee, Mansour Mouqada, was paralysed from the waist down due to injuries sustained during his 2002 arrest. PPS reported that during his imprisonment, he underwent surgery to receive a plastic stomach implant, with parts of his intestines hanging outside his body. He now suffers from chronic pain all over his body.

Another detainee, Iyad Haribat, developed a number of medical conditions, including tremors, temporary memory loss and an inability to stand on his feet following three months of violent interrogation by Israeli forces after his arrest in 2002.

Nine Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, freed by Israel, have arrived in Ramallah, Al Jazeera reported, citing local sources.

Meanwhile, three more prisoners with life sentences have been transferred to occupied East Jerusalem, the sources added.

Israeli state media reported that before their release, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) photographed hundreds of Palestinian detainees wearing shirts emblazoned with the Star of David and the phrase “We will not forget or forgive” in Arabic.

Israeli forces have shot and killed a 19-year-old Palestinian man following a military offensive on the Askar refugee camp, east of Nablus, Wafa news agency reported, citing medical sources.

The sources said Adel Ahmed Adel Bashkar was shot in the chest and transported to a hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.

Since 7 October 2023, Israeli forces have killed 916 Palestinians - including 813 children - in the West Bank, with another 7000 injured, according to the Palestinian ministry of health.

Since the beginning of 2025, at least 81 Palestinians have been killed, including 11 children.

The first bus carrying freed Palestinian detainees has arrived in the occupied West Bank's Ramallah, live footage showed. The detainees were greeted by a crowd of supporters, friends and family.

Some 369 Palestinian captives are set to be released on Saturday after Hamas handed over Israeli captives Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Alexander Sasha Troufanov to the Red Cross.

Reporting by Reuters

Good morning, Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates:

• Hamas has released three Israeli captives in Gaza: Alexander Sasha Trufanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Iair Horn.
• 369 Palestinians are expected to be released later today. Live footage shows the first bus carrying detainees arriving in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
• Hamas said that the latest captive release confirms that this can only be achieved "by adhering to the requirements of the ceasefire agreement".
• The group also said it expects indirect negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire deal to begin with Israel next week.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers, 

Our blog will soon be closing for the day. Here are some of today's main developments:

• Gaza’s Government Media Office confirmed on Friday that no temporary shelters, caravans, heavy machinery, or equipment have entered from Egypt via the Rafah crossing.

• Far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir has lashed out at the planned release of just three Israeli captives from Gaza, demanding that Israel push for the full implementation of Trump’s call for Hamas to free all captives by the weekend.

• Arab states at the UN have dismissed Trump’s call for a US-led takeover of Gaza, which includes forcibly removing its Palestinian population and transforming the territory into a luxury development project dubbed the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

• Christian leaders in Jerusalem have condemned proposals by Trump and Israeli officials to forcibly expel Palestinians from Gaza, warning of the “grave threat of mass displacement.”

• The United Nations Human Rights Office has condemned Israel’s escalating military assault in the northern occupied West Bank, warning of a surge in violence and widespread forced displacement.

• Dozens of armed Israeli settlers launched a violent assault on Palestinians near the village of al-Minya, south of Bethlehem, shortly after Israel’s Civil Administration officials intervened to halt the expansion of an illegal outpost, according to Haaretz.

• Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN special rapporteur on judicial independence, has denounced Trump’s sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling them a “direct attack” on global justice.

• The US-based Jewish Voice for Peace activist group and Israel’s Peace Now group have praised the 350 rabbis and dozens of others who signed an advertisement condemning President Trump’s plans in Gaza. 

• The Palestinian Prisoner's Society reported that Israeli forces have detained at least 380 people in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas governorates in the occupied West Bank since the start of the ongoing military offensive.

• Ireland's premier Michael Martin and deputy premier Simon Harris called for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine ahead of the Munich Security Conference this weekend.

• Saudi Arabia is spearheading urgent Arab efforts to develop a plan for Gaza's future as a counter to US President Donald Trump's ambition for a Middle East "Riviera" cleared of its Palestinian inhabitants, 10 sources told Reuters.