Israel says Gaza war to resume if hostages aren't released Saturday
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was backing the ultimatum of President Donald Trump for the release of hostages by Saturday afternoon, but he did not specify if he expects all remaining hostages to be released that day.
The Israeli security cabinet announced on Tuesday that it was backing President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to Hamas to release hostages held in Gaza by Saturday at noon, warning that if Hamas does not do so, the Israeli military will resume fighting in the Strip.
A statement issued on Tuesday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the members of the security cabinet were unanimous in welcoming Trump’s demand for the release of the hostages by Saturday at noon, and in welcoming the American president’s vision for the future of Gaza.
"After Hamas' announcement to revoke the agreement and not release our hostages, I instructed last night the Israeli military to amass troops inside the Gaza Strip and around it. This operation is being carried out now and should be completed shortly," Netanyahu said.
Backing Trump's ultimatum, Netanyahu demanded that Hamas "return our hostages by Saturday afternoon," but it is not clear if he was referring to all 76 remaining hostages as demanded by Trump, or only to the three that should be released this coming Saturday according to the phased deal that began on Jan. 19.
An unnamed Israeli diplomatic source told Channel 12 that the government expects all the remaining hostages included in the first phase of the deal — which is set to last for 42 days — namely 17 abductees, to be released "within days" or Israel will not proceed to negotiate the second stage of the deal. Eight of these hostages are believed to be dead. The next phase, per the agreement brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, should see the return of the remaining hostages, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
Another unnamed Israeli diplomatic source, quoted by Haaretz, said that if Hamas releases on Saturday the three hostages as planned, Israel will continue with the deal.
Netanyahu's video statement was issued after a four-hour meeting of Israel's security cabinet on Tuesday, after Hamas said on Monday that it was suspending the release of the three Israeli hostages this coming Saturday. The militant group alleged that Israel did not respect its commitments on the entry of humanitarian aid to the Strip, a claim that Israel rejects.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of Trump's proposal last week to transfer the residents of Gaza to other countries, mainly Egypt and Jordan, while the United States takes over the Strip and rebuilds it, a plan rejected by many Arab capitals.
Trump said this past Monday that "if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 o'clock ... I would say to cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out." He made this comment after claiming the day prior that three Israeli hostages released by Hamas last Saturday "look like Holocaust survivors."
Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of Israel's far-right Jewish Power party who resigned from the government over its approval of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, expressed support Monday for Trump's ultimatum. "Trump is correct. Return to destroying [Hamas] now," Ben-Gvir posted on X.
Hard-liner Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday called on Netanyahu to suspend humanitarian aid to Gaza if the hostages are not released. Addressing Netanyahu, Smotrich said, "Make it clear that if Hamas does not release all of them, there will be no electricity, no water, no fuel, no aid, only fire."
According to Ynet, American special envoy to the region Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel and Qatar this week, before the expected arrival to Israel Saturday night of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
