Netanyahu Warns of Gaza Strikes if Hostages Aren’t Freed by Saturday

Jerusalem: On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he may decide to retract the ceasefire in Gaza, which would allow him to deploy Israeli soldiers against Hamas, unless considerable numbers of hostages are released on Saturday.

Hamas claimed on Monday—and on Tuesday repeated—that they would stall the release of three additional hostages on accusations that Israel broke the terms of the ceasefire, specifically by not permitting the requisite number of tents and additional other supplies into Gaza.

In the midst of the escalating tensions, Donald Trump, the president of the USA, and Israel’s strongest supporter, urged, “Israel should not hesitate to call for the release of even greater quantity of remaining hostages too on Saturday.”

Trump doubts the sustainability of the ceasefire agreement.

On Tuesday, after his discussions with Jordan's Abdullah II at the White House, he expressed his belief that Hamas would not give full access to all the remaining hostages as he expected.

Of Hamas, the president speculated saying, “I do not think they are going to make the deadline, personally. They want to play tough guy. We'll see how tough they are.” 

Since the onset of the ceasefire, Hamas has relinquished 21 hostages in five separate rounds, acquiring more than 730 Palestinian captives in return. The second stage anticipates the return of all hostages still held, alongside the extension of the truce without restrictions. Yet, Trump's comments concerning both the awaited releases as well as the suggestion of a post-war arrangement for Gaza have shattered its already flimsy structure. 

It is unclear if Netanyahu’s warning covered the remaining hostages or extended solely to the three slated to be released on Saturday as that would be breaching the terms of the ceasefire. His office did receive word that, “As reported President Trump’s demand was welcomed.” 

And as Trump moved to restate his demands towards reporters in Washington, as well, an Israeli official who wished to remain nameless to comment on internal affairs remarked that, “Israel has adhered to Trump's announcement concerning the hostages. As it was previously claimed, all will be freed on Saturday.” 

Further, Netanyahu's office confirmed the instructions given to the military for deploying forces in the areas on and around the Gaza Strip in order to be ready for any emerging situations.

Trump has mentioned Israel has to cancel the entire ceasefire if all of the 70 hostages aren’t freed by Saturday. On Tuesday, Hamas dismissed his threat and reiterated its assertion that Israel breached the ceasefire and claimed that they will only keep releasing hostages if all sides comply with the ceasefire.

“There are both sides of the agreement which have to be observed, and that is something Trump must not forget,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on Tuesday. “Threats are no solution; they only serve to make matters worse.”

Later on, the group criticized Trump’s comments from the White House claiming it was an incitement to “ethnic cleansing” and accusing him of an attempt to “erase the Palestinian cause and the national rights of the Palestinian people.”

In a statement, they said they are still adhering to the ceasefire but were silent on whether they plan to halt the release of hostages which was part of the first phase of the agreement.

Jordan - a U.S. partner – grapples with recently compounded issues.

The former president Trump King Abdullah II in Washington as he pressured Jordan to absorb Gazan refugees – which, for all intents and purposes, meant taking them in indefinitely – and revising his Mideastern strategy.

“Why would we pay for anything? We will own it,” said Trump with regard to the U.S. ruling over Gaza while the king of Jordan looked on.

Abdullah II faced journalists inquiries concerning Trump’s vision of the Middle East makeup and failed to provide concrete responses. He further avoided any commentary on the proposition that a sizable portion of the Gazan population could be embraced by Jordan, home to countless Palestinian refugees.

The king did note, however, that Jordan would be prepared to accept “right away” around 2000 children suffering from cancer or other illnesses from Gaza.

But for the children some 12000 to 14000 patients still require evacuation, as said the top World Health Organization official for Gaza last week.

Palestinians, along with the international populace, have been enraged in the wake of Trump claiming that any Palestinians are stripped from Gaza will inherently be dispossessed of the right to return.

Hamas agreed to release 33 hostages captured during its assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, and in turn, Israel agreed to let go of around 2000 Palestinian prisoners. The two sides have exchanged five swaps since January. 

If no agreement is attained during the second phase of the ceasefire by early March, this war will begin again. If Israel decides to go through with the plans, he will be confronting a completely new battlefield. At the beginning of the war, Israel used to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate to the southern region of Gaza, however, Israel is beginning to permit a substantial number of the displaced Palestinians back to their homes and deal with the growing issues with advancing ground troops across the overly populated region.