Israel’s prime minister has warned Hamas it will end the ceasefire in Gaza and resume intense fighting if the Palestinian group “does not return our hostages by Saturday noon [10:00 GMT]”.
Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered Israeli forces to amass inside and around Gaza in response to Hamas’s announcement that it was postponing freeing more hostages until further notice.
Netanyahu did not specify whether he was demanding the release of all 76 remaining hostages, or just the three due to be freed this Saturday – but a minister said he meant “everyone”.
Hamas responded by saying it remained committed to the ceasefire deal and that Israel was “responsible for any complications or delays”.
The group has accused Israel of violating the three-week-old ceasefire deal, including by blocking vital humanitarian aid – a claim Israel has denied.
Hamas’s decision to delay this weekend’s scheduled release prompted US President Donald Trump to propose that Israel cancel the agreement altogether and “let hell break out” unless “all of the hostages” were returned by Saturday.
Following a four-hour meeting of Israel’s security cabinet on Tuesday, Netanyahu said in a video statement that he “welcomed President Trump’s demand”.
He added: “In light of Hamas’s announcement regarding its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to amass forces inside – and surrounding – the Gaza Strip.
“This action is being carried out at this hour and will be completed very soon.”
He then issued an ultimatum that he said had the security cabinet’s unanimous approval.
“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end the IDF will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas.”
There were conflicting messages from Israeli officials about whether Netanyahu meant Hamas should release all the remaining hostages or not.
One source told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that it would be willing to continue the ceasefire if the next group of three hostages were freed as planned on Saturday.
But later, transport minister and war cabinet member Miri Regev wrote on X: “We made a very clear decision: We adhere to US President Donald Trump’s statement regarding the release of the hostages – on Saturday, everyone will be released!”
The IDF said it had raised the level of readiness of its Southern Command – which is responsible for operations in Gaza – and that it would be reinforced with additional troops, including reservists.
Hamas also reiterated on Tuesday its rejection of Trump’s controversial plan for the US to take over post-war Gaza and permanently relocate the two million Palestinians living there so that it could be rebuilt and turned into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Hamas said Trump’s remarks were “racist and constitute a call for ethnic cleansing, aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause and denying our people’s inalienable national rights”.
The Palestinian Authority and Arab states have also categorically rejected the plan, while the UN warned that any forced displacement would be prohibited under international law and “tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.
Netanyahu has praised the president’s “revolutionary vision” for Gaza.
Earlier on Tuesday, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told the BBC that the door was open for US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators to intervene and get the ceasefire deal back on track.
“We don’t wish that this deal will fall apart,” he said. “We are doing the maximum to avoid any obstacles, any challenges, and therefore we are ready to hand over prisoners next Saturday if the situation is rectified through the mediators.”
He accused Israel of “continuous violations” of the ceasefire deal, including delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to areas in northern Gaza by between 48 and 72 hours and obstructing deliveries of urgently needed food, medical and shelter supplies.
The first phase of the ceasefire deal is supposed to last six weeks and see a total of 33 Israeli hostages exchanged for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza.
So far, 16 living hostages have been freed since the ceasefire took effect on 19 January. Hamas has also handed over five Thai hostages outside the terms of the deal.
The remaining 17 Israeli hostages – two children, one woman, five men over the age of 50, and nine men under 50 – are supposed to be released over the next three weeks. Both sides have said eight of those hostages are dead, but only one has been named.
The deal has also seen Israeli forces withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the north, and hundreds of aid lorries allowed into the territory each day.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
More than 48,210 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Most of Gaza’s population has also been displaced multiple times, almost 70% of buildings are estimated to be damaged or destroyed, the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed, and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.
By BBC News
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