Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in Gaza and directed troops to prepare to resume fighting Hamas if the militant group does not r on Saturday.
Hamas said Monday B次元官网网址� and reiterated Tuesday B次元官网网址� that it after accusing Israel of failing to meet the terms of the ceasefire, including by not allowing an agreed-upon number of tents and other aid into Gaza.
Amid the mounting tensions, to call for the release of even more remaining hostages on Saturday.
Trump questions ceasefireB次元官网网址檚 durability
After meeting with JordanB次元官网网址檚 King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday, Trump predicted Hamas would not release all the remaining hostages as he had demanded.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think theyB次元官网网址檙e going to make the deadline, personally,B次元官网网址� the president said of Hamas. B次元官网网址淭hey want to play tough guy. WeB次元官网网址檒l see how tough they are.B次元官网网址�
Since the ceasefire took effect, Hamas has released 21 hostages in a series of five exchanges for more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. A second phase calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce. However, TrumpB次元官网网址檚 statements about both the pending releases and plans for post-war Gaza have destabilized its fragile architecture.
It wasnB次元官网网址檛 immediately clear whether NetanyahuB次元官网网址檚 threat referred to the three hostages scheduled for release on Saturday or all the remaining hostages, which would be a departure from the terms of the ceasefire. NetanyahuB次元官网网址檚 office said it B次元官网网址渨elcomed President TrumpB次元官网网址檚 demand.B次元官网网址�
As Trump spoke to reporters in Washington and reasserted his demands, an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, said Israel was B次元官网网址渟ticking to TrumpB次元官网网址檚 announcement regarding the release of the hostages. Namely, that they will all be released on Saturday.B次元官网网址�
NetanyahuB次元官网网址檚 office also said it ordered the military to mobilize troops on and around the Gaza Strip in preparation for scenarios that could arise.
has said Israel should cancel the entire ceasefire if all of the roughly 70 hostages arenB次元官网网址檛 freed by Saturday. Hamas brushed off his threat Tuesday, doubling down on its claim that Israel has violated the ceasefire and warned that it would only continue releasing hostages if all parties adhered to the ceasefire.
B次元官网网址淭rump must remember there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties. This is the only way to bring back prisoners,B次元官网网址� Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Tuesday. B次元官网网址淭he language of threats has no value; it only complicates matters.B次元官网网址�
The group later condemned TrumpB次元官网网址檚 White House remarks, saying they amounted to a B次元官网网址渃all for ethnic cleansingB次元官网网址� and accusing Trump of seeking to B次元官网网址渓iquidate the Palestinian cause and deny the national rights of the Palestinian people.B次元官网网址�
It said in a statement it remained committed to the ceasefire, yet did not address its plans to suspend the hostages releases outlined in the first phase of the agreement.
Jordan B次元官网网址� a U.S. ally B次元官网网址� faces new pressures
Trump hosted King Abdullah II in Washington as he escalates pressure on Jordan to take in refugees from Gaza, perhaps permanently, as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not going to buy anything. WeB次元官网网址檙e going to have it,B次元官网网址� Trump said of U.S. control of Gaza as the Jordanian king stood by.
Abdullah II was asked repeatedly by reporters about TrumpB次元官网网址檚 plan to remake the Middle East, but didnB次元官网网址檛 make substantive comments. He also did not comment on the idea that a large number of refugees from Gaza could be welcomed in Jordan, where millions of Palestinian refugees already reside.
The king said, however, that Jordan would be willing B次元官网网址渞ight awayB次元官网网址� to take as many as 2,000 children in Gaza who have cancer or are otherwise ill.
Last week, the top World Health Organization official for Gaza said between 12,000 and 14,000 patients still need medical evacuation from the territory B次元官网网址� including 5,000 children.
Palestinians and the international community have seethed over TrumpB次元官网网址檚 recent comments that any Palestinians potentially expelled from Gaza would not have .
During , Hamas committed to freeing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while Israel said it would release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The sides have carried out five swaps since Jan. 19.
The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire. But if it does, Israel will face a drastically different battlefield. After forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate to southern Gaza in the early stages of the war, Israel allowed many of those displaced people to return to what is left of their homes, posing a new challenge to its ability to move ground troops through the territory.
