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.
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.
It remains unclear whether Netanyahu really intends to collapse the ceasefire deal if all the remaining hostages are not released by the Saturday deadline.
It is understood that Arab countries are exerting pressure on Hamas to try to get the deal back on track.
Egypt has said it plans to present a “comprehensive vision” for the reconstruction of Gaza that does not involve displacing the population unlike a proposal put forward by US President Donald Trump.
Hamas’s decision to delay this weekend’s scheduled release had prompted 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.”
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 17 other Israeli hostages due to be released during the first phase are two children, one woman, five men over the age of 50, and nine men under 50. They are supposed to be handed over in the next three weeks. Both sides have said eight of these hostages are dead, but only one has been named.
Negotiations for the ceasefire deal’s second phase – which will see the 43 hostages still in captivity released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire – have not yet begun.
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.
BBC
