The White House has said that it supports Israel's decision to delay releasing 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing the "barbaric treatment" of Israeli hostages by Hamas.
Delaying the prisoner release is an "appropriate response" to the Palestinian militant group's treatment of the hostages, a statement from National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.
President Donald Trump is prepared to support Israel in "whatever course of action it chooses regarding Hamas," he added.
Earlier, Hamas condemned Israel's decision to postpone the release of the prisoners and detainees, saying its claim that the hostages' handover ceremonies are "humiliating" was false and a pretext to evade Israel's obligations under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
"Netanyahu's decision reflects a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement, represents a clear violation of its terms, and shows the occupation's lack of reliability in implementing its obligations," Ezzat El Rashq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said in a statement.
Israel said earlier it was delaying the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners it had planned to free yesterday until Hamas met its conditions, underscoring the fragility of the Gaza ceasefire accord.
Mr Netanyahu's office released a statement in the early hours of this morning, saying that Israel was waiting to deliver the 620 Palestinian prisoners and detainees "until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies".
Mr Rashq said the ceremonies do not include any insult to the hostages, "but rather reflect the humane and dignified treatment of them", adding that the "real insult" is what the Palestinian prisoners are subjected to during the release process.
The Palestinian militant group official cited the hands' tying of the Palestinian prisoners and detainees and their blindfolding and threatening them not to hold any celebrations for their release as examples of their humiliation at the hands of Israeli authorities.
Israel's announcement, which also accused Hamas of repeatedly violating the month-old ceasefire, came after the Palestinian militant group yesterday handed over six hostages from Gaza as part of an exchange arranged under the truce.
The six hostages freed were the last living Israeli captives due to be handed over during the first phase of the ceasefire. The bodies of four dead Israeli hostages were to be released next week.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on 19 January, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in well-rehearsed handovers, with masked militants parading the captives on stage and forcing them to wave at Gazans gathered to watch.
"In light of Hamas' repeated violations - including the disgraceful ceremonies that dishonour our hostages and the cynical use of hostages for propaganda - it has been decided to delay the release of terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the release of the next hostages is ensured, without the humiliating ceremonies," Mr Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Hamas would be "destroyed" if it did not release all the remaining hostages.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in Gaza, families had waited for hours for their loved ones to be released from Israeli custody in exchange for the six Israelis returned home.
"Waiting is very difficult," said Shireen al-Hamamreh, whose brother was due for release.
"We are patient and we will remain stronger than the occupier, God willing," she told AFP in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Meanwhile, President Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the US expects the second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal to go forward and that he would visit the Middle East in the coming week.
Mr Witkoff made the comments in a CNN 'State of the Union' interview after being asked about Israel's decision to postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees and how he expected the ceasefire to be impacted by developments in the region.
"We have to get an extension of phase one," Mr Witkoff said. "I'll be going to the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that."
It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel was prepared to resume fighting in Gaza "at any moment" while vowing to complete the war's objectives "whether through negotiation or by other means".
"We are prepared to resume intense fighting at any moment," Mr Netanyahu said at a ceremony for combat officers, a day after Israel halted the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a truce deal.
"In Gaza, we have eliminated most of Hamas's organised forces, but let there be no doubt - we will complete the war's objectives entirely - whether through negotiation or by other means," he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel was prepared to resume fighting in Gaza "at any moment" while vowing to complete the war's objectives "whether through negotiation or by other means".
"We are prepared to resume intense fighting at any moment," Mr Netanyahu said at a ceremony for combat officers, a day after Israel halted the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a truce deal.
"In Gaza, we have eliminated most of Hamas's organised forces, but let there be no doubt - we will complete the war's objectives entirely - whether through negotiation or by other means," he added.
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'Mix-up'
On Thursday, the first transfer of dead hostages under the truce sparked anger in Israel after analysis concluded that Ms Bibas's remains were not among the four bodies returned.
Hamas admitted a possible "mix-up of bodies", and late Friday handed over more human remains which the Bibas family said had been identified as Ms Bibas.
The family said in a statement she "was murdered in captivity and has now returned home... to rest."
Out of 251 people taken hostage during the October 2023 attack, 62 are still in Gaza including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.
The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,215 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,319 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.
