Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in Gaza and directed troops to prepare to resume fighting Hamas if the militant group does not release more hostages on Saturday.
Hamas on Monday said — and reiterated on Tuesday — that it planned to delay the release of three more hostages after accusing Israel of failing to meet the terms of the ceasefire, including by not allowing an agreed-upon number of tents and other aid into Gaza.
Amid the mounting tensions, US President Donald Trump emboldened Israel to call for the release of even more hostages on Saturday.
Photo: AFP
After meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday, Trump predicted that Hamas would not release all the remaining hostages.
“I don’t think they’re going to make the deadline, personally,” the president said of Hamas. “They want to play tough guy. We’ll see how tough they are.”
Since the ceasefire took effect, Hamas has released 21 hostages in a series of five exchanges for more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. A second phase calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce.
However, Trump’s statements about the pending releases and plans for post-war Gaza have destabilized its fragile architecture.
It was not immediately clear whether Netanyahu’s threat referred to the three hostages scheduled for release on Saturday or all the hostages.
His office said it “welcomed President Trump’s demand.”
An Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting said Israel was “sticking to Trump’s announcement regarding the release of the hostages. Namely, that they will all be released on Saturday.”
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