Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas does not release more hostages by noon on Saturday, endorsing a threat by Donald Trump that could shatter the three-week-old ceasefire between the two sides.
Netanyahu’s ultimatum was delivered during a video address posted to social media account on Tuesday. “If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” he said.
It came a day after Trump told reporters: “If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12pm, I would say cancel the ceasefire. Let all hell break loose.”
Netanyahu’s threat came as Trump hosted King Abdullah of Jordan at the White House on Tuesday for a tense meeting, where the two were to discuss the ceasefire and Trump’s plan to “take over” Gaza and expel the region’s more than 2 million Palestinians. Trump has said that he could withhold aide from Jordan and Egypt, two US allies, unless they agree to his plan.
In a quick back-and-forth with reporters before a closed-door meeting with Abdullah, Trump in effect endorsed an Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank and said there was “no reason to buy Gaza” because “we’re going to take it”.
Asked whether Saturday remained his deadline for Hamas to deliver all the hostages, Trump replied: “Yes.”
It was not clear whether Netanyahu is also demanding that all 76 captives still held in Gaza be released, or just the three hostages scheduled for release on Saturday under the ceasefire. The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for further information.
But the shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after more than 15 months of fighting that has killed just under 47,000 Palestinians and more than 1,700 Israelis is close to collapse.
Since the deal was agreed, there have been persistent concerns over Netanyahu’s willingness to transition from the first to the second phase of the agreement: the far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said he will quit Netanyahu’s coalition if the war does not restart after the first phase, which could force the prime minister to choose between his government and the deal.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the cabinet agreed that if three hostages were released on Saturday, as planned, then Israel would continue to commit to the ceasefire.
But in a sign that Israeli authorities may be preparing for hostilities to resume, Netanyahu also said on Tuesday evening that he had directed the Israeli army to increase reinforcements in the Gaza area “in preparation for various scenarios”.
“In light of Hamas’s announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I ordered the IDF to amass forces inside and around the Gaza Strip,” said Netanyahu. “This operation is being carried out at this time. It will be completed in the very near future.”
Hamas on Monday said it would delay the release of Israeli hostages indefinitely over “violations” of the ceasefire deal, prompting Israel’s defence minister to put the country’s military on alert with orders to prepare for “any scenario in Gaza”.
On Tuesday, Hamas had softened its stance, deriding Trump’s ultimatum and reiterating its commitment to a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, said: “Trump must remember there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties, and this is the only way to bring back the [Israeli] prisoners. The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters.”
In a statement late on Tuesday, Hamas reiterated that it was committed to the ceasefire deal, and claiming that Israel would be “responsible for any complications or delays.”
The Israeli security cabinet meeting to discuss negotiations on the second phase of the deal was brought forward on Tuesday and lasted more than four hours.
Smotrich, who voted against the ceasefire deal, appeared to support Trump’s comments. He wrote on X on Tuesday: “Everyone now.”
A day earlier, the army cancelled all leave for soldiers in the Gaza division, a move suggesting it has become more likely that hostilities could resume.
In Tel Aviv, protesters blocked roads on Monday night and Tuesday, demanding the return of all hostages, as some relatives accused the government of sabotaging the deal.
Replying to reporters’ questions in the West Wing, Trump overturned decades of US policy on Israel by in effect endorsing the annexation of the West Bank. “I think that’s going to work out very well,” he said, adding that it would “work out automatically”. “It’s in good shape. We discussed it, other people are going to discuss it with me. West Bank is going to work out very well.”
He also discussed his putative plan to “take over” Gaza and expel the Palestinians to neighbouring Jordan and Egypt.
Reversing previous statements, Trump said that he was not prepared to buy Gaza, but that “we’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it.”
Trump announced the Gaza plan late last week to the apparent surprise of Netanyahu and to his closest aides. Neither the Pentagon, nor the state department had made plans for a US military campaign or rebuilding effort in the Gaza Strip before Trump’s announcement.
But the plan has angered Arab states, who have said that the decision would effectively scuttle another of Trump’s key goals: establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah, who was sitting next to Trump, did not respond to questions about Trump’s plan to “take” Gaza. That would be discussed behind closed doors, he said, but said both sides should also “wait until the Egyptians can present ideas”.
Later on Tuesday, Abdullah said that his country would take in 2,000 sick children from war-torn Gaza but pushed back against Trump’s plan to take over the territory.
“I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position. Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all,” he said.
Article by:Source: Andrew Roth in Washington and Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem
