After US threat, Hamas says ‘Trump must remember respecting truce is only way to bring Israeli hostages home’

Hamas announced Monday nighttime they were postponing the adjacent scheduled merchandise of hostages connected Saturday, blaming Israel for violating the ceasefire woody that came into effect connected January 19.

Hamas said the violations included “delaying the instrumentality of the displaced to the bluish Gaza Strip and targeting them with shelling and gunfire”.

Donald Trump, who has claimed recognition for securing the agreement, warned hours aboriginal that if each the Israeli hostages held successful Gaza are not returned by Saturday noon, helium would suggest cancelling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and letting “all hellhole interruption loose”, though helium stressed that the last determination was up to Israel.

“I’d accidental they ought to beryllium returned by 12 o’clock connected Saturday… each of them, not successful dribs and drabs, not 2 and 1 and 3 and 4 and two,” helium said.

“I’m speaking for myself,” helium added. “Israel tin override it.”

In total, 17 Israeli hostages were inactive owed to beryllium released successful the archetypal signifier of the three-stage ceasefire, 8 of whom Israel says are dead.

The adjacent scheduled exchange, successful which 3 hostages were to beryllium released, was planned for Saturday. Now, Israel’s information Cabinet has moved up its gathering successful effect to Hamas’ announcement, arsenic families of the remaining hostages pass that clip is moving out.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz besides called the Hamas announcement a “complete usurpation of the ceasefire agreement”.

Katz further added helium had ordered the Israel Defense Forces to “prepare astatine the highest level of alert for immoderate imaginable script successful Gaza and to support the communities”.

“We volition not let a instrumentality to the world of 7 October,” helium added.

Growing tensions successful Gaza

The hold has besides raised caller concerns successful Gaza, wherever hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians person begun returning to what remains of their homes successful the bluish portion of the territory. Many had fled successful the aboriginal weeks of the war, and the ceasefire has provided a uncommon accidental for them to return. However, uncertainty implicit the agreement’s aboriginal has near galore successful fearfulness of renewed airstrikes and subject operations.

The archetypal signifier of the ceasefire, which began connected January 19, was scheduled to past six weeks, with negotiations acceptable to statesman for a 2nd phase. However, determination were already concerns that warring would resume erstwhile this archetypal signifier ended successful aboriginal March.

However, Hamas aboriginal clarified that the postponement was a “warning signal” to Israel, adding that determination were inactive 5 days near for mediators—the United States, Qatar, and Egypt—to unit Israel into complying with the agreement. “The doorway remains unfastened for the speech to proceed arsenic planned if Israel abides by its obligations,” Hamas said successful a statement. Mediators person not yet issued a nationalist response.

Since the ceasefire began connected January 19, 16 Israeli and 5 Thai hostages person been released successful speech for 566 prisoners. By the extremity of the archetypal signifier successful 3 weeks, 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are expected to beryllium freed, though Israel says 8 of the hostages are dead. Hamas took 251 hostages and killed astir 1,200 radical successful its October 2023 attack, prompting Israel’s subject response, which has killed astatine slightest 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s wellness ministry.

(With Inputs from Associated Press And Reuters)