Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that it is indefinitely delaying the release of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday "until the release of the next hostages is guaranteed."
"In light of the repeated violations by Hamas, including the ceremonies that demean our hostages and the cynical use of our hostages for propaganda purposes, it has been decided to delay the release of terrorists planned for yesterday until the next release of hostages is guaranteed, and without the degrading ceremonies," the prime minister's office said in a statement.
Earlier, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Hamas' treatment of hostages and warned that the militant group would be "destroyed" if they don't release the remaining hostages.