World
Trump warns ‘all hell’ will break loose if Gaza hostages are not freed
Donald Trump said he would move to end the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas if all of the remaining hostages were not released by Saturday.
The US president warned “all hell is going to break out” if the hostages in Hamas’s custody were not released, adding that he feared many were dead.
Hamas announced on Monday it was pausing the release of hostages until further notice.
Mr Trump has imposed the deadline of 12pm on Saturday for hostage releases to resume.
Hamas has accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire deal by blocking Palestinians from returning to their homes and shelling civilians.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman for the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, accused Israel of systematically violating the ceasefire agreement over the past three weeks and said Saturday’s release would be delayed.
Obeida said Israel had delayed displaced Palestinians in the south of Gaza returning to the north, accusing it of targeting civilians “with shelling and gunfire”.
He added that Israel had not allowed the agreed amount of humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, demanding “retroactive compensation” for what Hamas considered were breaches of the ceasefire deal.
Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, called the announcement a “complete violation of the ceasefire agreement” and placed the Israel Defense Forces on high alert.
Eli Sharabi was reunited with his family but appeared emaciated after being held hostage
Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas is releasing dozens of the hostages captured in its Oct 7 2023 attack on Israel in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Both sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire began last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 prisoners. The next exchange was scheduled for Saturday, with three Israeli hostages due for release in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents Israeli captives held in Gaza, asked for rapid assistance from countries mediating the ceasefire to ensure that the deal did not collapse.
It added: “We stand with the Israeli government and encourage maintaining the conditions that will ensure the successful continuation of the agreement, leading to the safe return of our 76 brothers and sisters.
“Recent evidence from those released, as well as the shocking conditions of the hostages released last Saturday, leaves no room for doubt – time is of the essence, and all hostages must be urgently rescued from this horrific situation.”
A total of 73 hostages taken on Oct 7 2023 remain in Gaza, 17 of whom are still to be released under the first phase.
The fragile deal has hit several bumps since it came into effect last month, with Israel twice warning Hamas over its handling of the hostage releases.
Credit: Getty/Anadolu/Reuters
On the first occasion, mobs of civilians abused and threatened Gadi Moses, 80, and Arbel Yehud, 29, in the moments before they were handed over to the Red Cross. On Saturday, the three hostages to be released appeared severely malnourished and were forced to give interviews on a stage over a loudspeaker.
Israeli troops killed three Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday, saying they had approached IDF soldiers and “posed a threat”.
Mr Katz said the Palestinians had entered a buffer zone and that anyone who did so “puts their life at risk”.
The Israeli air force also fired on what it said were “suspicious vehicles” travelling to northern Gaza on a “non-approved route”, which Israel said violated the ceasefire agreement.
Israel delayed displaced Palestinians returning to the north of the Gaza Strip for two days last month, accusing Hamas of backtracking on a commitment to free a female Israeli civilian hostage.
More than 12,000 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have entered Gaza since the start of the ceasefire, Israel said.
Mr Trump will host Abdullah II, the king of Jordan, at the White House on Tuesday as he applies pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza – perhaps permanently – as part of his plan to remake the Middle East.
The president has proposed the US take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East”, with Palestinians in the war-torn territory pushed into neighbouring nations with no right of return.
Ahead of what could prove to be a tense meeting between Mr Trump and Abdullah II, the president suggested on Monday that, if necessary, he would withhold US funding from Jordan and Egypt, longtime US allies and among the top recipients of its foreign aid, as a means of persuading them to accept additional Palestinians from Gaza.
“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not?” Mr Trump told reporters. “If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.”
Jordan is home to more than 2 million Palestinians and, along with other Arab states, has flatly rejected Mr Trump’s plan to relocate civilians from Gaza.
Article by:Source: