The White House said Feb. 23 that Israel’s decision to hold off on releasing 602 Palestinian prisoners (some reports say 620—ed.) was an “appropriate response” to Hamas’s (alleged) abuse of Israeli captives and parading the caskets of the young boys Ariel and Kfir Bibas, whose bodies were returned to Israel on Feb. 21, wrote Times of Israel.
In a statement, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said that “given Hamas’s barbaric treatment of the hostages, including the hideous parade of the Bibas children’s coffins through the streets of Gaza, Israel’s decision to delay the release of prisoners is an appropriate response.”
