Gaza Ceasefire Will Cease to Exist if Hostages Are Not Released: Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hamas that the ceasefire in Gaza will end, and military operations will resume if the Palestinian group does not release hostages by Saturday noon.
Netanyahu said he had ordered Israeli forces to mobilize inside and around Gaza following Hamas's announcement that it was delaying the release of more hostages.
However, he did not specify whether he was demanding the release of all 76 remaining hostages or just the three scheduled for release on Saturday.
Israeli Transport Minister and war cabinet member Miri Regev later clarified that the government expected "everyone" to be freed.
On Monday, Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement by obstructing humanitarian aid, a claim Israel has denied.
In response to the delay in the hostage release, former U.S. President Donald Trump urged Israel to abandon the agreement unless all hostages were freed by Saturday.
Netanyahu welcomed Trump's stance and said his government unanimously approved the ultimatum.
“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas,” Netanyahu stated.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have already heightened their readiness in the Southern Command, reinforcing it with additional troops, including reservists.
Meanwhile, Hamas signaled a willingness to continue negotiations through U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian mediators. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said the group does not want the deal to collapse and remains open to further negotiations.
However, he accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire by delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, obstructing aid, and making threats of mass displacement.
The first phase of the ceasefire, initially set to last six weeks, included provisions for 33 Israeli hostages to be exchanged for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
Since January 19, Hamas has released 16 Israeli hostages and five Thai hostages outside of the deal’s terms. The remaining 17 hostages—comprising children, women, and elderly men—are supposed to be freed over the next three weeks, though both sides acknowledge that at least eight are deceased.
The war began following Hamas’s cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken.
Since then, over 48,210 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The humanitarian situation in the enclave remains dire, with most of the population displaced and critical infrastructure severely damaged.
