The decision made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early Sunday morning to delay the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners, who were supposed to be freed Saturday as part of the agreement with Hamas, appears ominous.

Israel is delaying the release of the prisoners “until it is ensured that the next hostages will be freed without humiliating ceremonies,” according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu made this decision — against the advice of military and security chiefs — after Saturday’s hostage releases, during which four hostages abducted on October 7, 2023 (Tal Shoham, Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert) were freed, along with two Israeli civilians who had been held by Hamas for over a decade (Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed).

The final releases in the current first phase of the hostages-ceasefire agreement are scheduled to take place on Thursday, when Hamas is supposed to return four slain hostages to Israel.

Many believe that Netanyahu waited to initiate action that will lead to the collapse of the agreement, and a return to the military campaign against Hamas, until phase one’s living hostages were all safely in Israeli hands.

It appears that the conditions are ripe from his and his coalition’s perspective for another round of war, but this time with the active encouragement of a sitting US president.

Hamas condemned the decision to halt the prisoners’ release. The terror group, which kidnapped civilians from their homes and from a dance party and held them for 15 months in underground tunnels, stated: “The occupation’s claim that the handover ceremony was humiliating is a false allegation, and a flimsy excuse aimed at evading the commitments of the agreement.  These ceremonies do not include any insult to the prisoners but rather reflect the humane and generous treatment they receive. The real insult is what our prisoners endure.

“Netanyahu’s decision is a deliberate attempt to sabotage the agreement and constitutes a clear violation. We call on the mediators and the international community to take responsibility and pressure for the implementation of the agreement and the immediate release of the prisoners,” Hamas added.

Netanyahu’s decision – backed by the war cabinet, which includes ministers Ron Dermer, Israel Katz, Gideon Sa’ar and Bezalel Smotrich – was made against the backdrop of widespread anger that has been felt across Israel over the past three days.

From soccer stadiums (where Beitar Jerusalem fans held up a sign reading, “The revenge for a child’s blood has yet to be created by Satan”) to various television pundits, calls for revenge, expulsion and annexation have been repeatedly heard.

“The last few days may be remembered as key moments in the history of the war, and perhaps in the history of the entire Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” assessed Amos Harel, the defense analyst for Haaretz, who is generally not prone to dramatic or bombastic assessments.

This sentiment is driven by several factors:

• The pathological findings indicating the horrific circumstances of the murders of the Bibas boys — Ariel, 4, and Kfir, nine months — which were published on Friday and caused deep shock in Israel.

• The fact that Hamas initially returned the body of a different woman instead of the body of Shiri Bibas (a “mix up” that was “corrected” 24 hours later), and the Israeli assessment that she too was brutally murdered.

• The grave condition of many of the released hostages and their testimonies regarding Hamas’s vicious and cynical physical and psychological treatment of them.

• The explosive devices planted on Thursday in four buses in central Israel, which, thanks to the alertness of a civilian, were discovered in time, preventing a major disaster.

All these factors have created a sense in Israel that there is no one to talk to and nothing to talk about — laying the groundwork for the next military steps.

“The IDF is preparing for the possibility of a renewed invasion of Gaza,” writes Harel. “Incoming Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir (who will assume office in ten days) is formulating an operational plan described as particularly aggressive. Netanyahu is now seeking to escalate the crisis with the decision he made overnight.”

One of Hamas’s most recent cynical moves, which also sparked widespread outrage, has contributed to the heightened tension in Israel.

On Saturday, Hamas brought Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David – two close friends who were kidnapped together from the Nova party – to the release site at the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, so they would witness the release of three of the Israeli hostages and deliver a desperate plea to their families, the Israeli public, and prime minister Netanyahu.

“Our friends are getting out, and we just want this to be over,” the two said to Hamas’s cameras. “Save us! Netanyahu, get us home. It’s hard here, we dream of leaving.”

The two, who are set to be freed in phase two of the deal, also called on their families to continue protesting in Israel to pressure the government to move forward with the agreement. The text and the entire scene appeared to be directed and dictated by their captors.

Despite extremely cold and rainy weather, thousands participated in demonstrations across Israel on Saturday night in support of moving to the second phase of the deal, in which Hamas is supposed to release the 63 remaining hostages in its hands – at least 24 of whom are thought to be alive.

Sasha Troufanov, who was released from Hamas captivity just a week ago, arrived on Saturday evening at Hostages’ Square in Tel Aviv, where he met the parents of Tal Shoham, who had been freed earlier in the day.

Shoham’s father, Gilad Korengold, spoke at the rally and said: “It is possible and essential to release all the hostages in one continuous operation and shorten the timelines.”

Einav Zangauker – the mother of hostage Matan, who has become the most prominent figure in Israel’s fight for the hostages and has been facing ugly attacks in recent weeks from Netanyahu supporters – said ahead of the rally: “Our disconnected government is pushing for a return to war against the will of the people and against Israel’s interests. And Netanyahu, the architect of the staged releases, is dragging his feet.

“Netanyahu is trying to appease his extremist partners on the backs of my Matan and the other hostages,” she concluded.