Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned to relaunch military operations against Hamas and withdraw from the ceasefire in Gaza if the organization does not carry out Saturday’s next planned hostage release.
In response, Hamas maintained on Tuesday that it would postpone the release of three detainees, after accusing Israel on Monday of violating the ceasefire’s conditions, including letting sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Although it’s unclear if Netanyahu’s threat applies to all of the hostages still held or just the three scheduled for release this weekend, US President Donald Trump has urged Israel to press for the release of even more.
An Israeli official earlier in the day stated that Netanyahu had directed military officers to be ready for “every scenario” in the event that Hamas would not free the hostages on time and he had authorized an increase in force deployment around the Gaza Strip.
The action comes after Israel said on Monday that it will strengthen its border defenses with Gaza. The delicate ceasefire may be in jeopardy as the Israeli Security Cabinet met for four hours to consider Hamas’ stance.
As part of an ongoing prisoner exchange in which Israel has freed hundreds of Palestinian captives, Hamas has so far freed 21 hostages.
Trump has adopted a tough posture, saying that if the 70 hostages who are still alive are not released by Saturday, Israel should completely revoke the ceasefire. Hamas rejected his comments, stating that it would only proceed with the releases if everyone followed the parameters that were agreed upon.
As part of his larger plan to transform the Middle East, Trump is also welcoming King Abdullah II of Jordan to the White House, putting more pressure on the nation to take in Gazan refugees, maybe permanently.
International outrage has been triggered by Trump’s implication that Palestinians who have been removed from Gaza would not be allowed to return.
Israel vowed to release roughly 2,000 Palestinian inmates during the first six-week phase of the truce, while Hamas pledged to release 33 hostages abducted during their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Five such prisoner transfers have occurred since January 19.
But if the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire—securing the release of all remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely—cannot be agreed upon, the conflict may restart in early March.
Israel’s battlefield will be very different if fighting breaks out again. Israel has now permitted many Palestinians to return to what is left of their homes after first forcing hundreds of thousands of them to flee south. Future ground operations in the area may become more challenging as a result of this change.
