The military court at Ofer military base on Monday withheld its final ruling on whether 18 detained Hamas lawmakers should be released from prison.

The court, which last week ordered that the lawmakers be freed, froze its ruling in order to rule on an appeal submitted by the military prosecution. The final ruling was expected to be issued on Monday.

The judge said he would inform the prisoners' attorneys when he had made a decision, but did not say when that would take place.

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Israel placed the lawmakers in administrative detention in June, after Hamas-allied militants captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid.