Despite the scheduled release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for six Israeli hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has halted the process. Netanyahu stated that the recent hostage release ceremony was “disrespectful” and, as a result, Israel will not proceed with releasing Palestinian detainees at this time. He added that future exchanges will only occur if hostages are released without “offensive” ceremonies. The conflict, which has raged for nearly 16 months, saw a ceasefire beginning on January 19. Under this agreement, Hamas has so far released 25 hostages.