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

Hamas announced Monday night they were postponing the next scheduled release of hostages on Saturday, blaming Israel for violating the ceasefire deal that came into effect on January 19.

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

Donald Trump, who has claimed credit for securing the agreement, warned hours later that if all the Israeli hostages held in Gaza are not returned by Saturday noon, he would propose cancelling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and letting “all hell break loose”, though he stressed that the final decision was up to Israel.

“I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday… all of them, not in dribs and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two,” he said.

“I’m speaking for myself,” he added. “Israel can override it.”

In total, 17 Israeli hostages were still due to be released in the first phase of the three-stage ceasefire, eight of whom Israel says are dead.

The next scheduled exchange, in which three hostages were to be released, was planned for Saturday. Now, Israel’s security Cabinet has moved up its meeting in response to Hamas’ announcement, as families of the remaining hostages warn that time is running out.

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

Katz further added he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces to “prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza and to protect the communities”.

“We will not allow a return to the reality of 7 October,” he added.

Growing tensions in Gaza

The delay has also raised new concerns in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have begun returning to what remains of their homes in the northern part of the territory. Many had fled in the early weeks of the war, and the ceasefire has provided a rare opportunity for them to return. However, uncertainty over the agreement’s future has left many in fear of renewed airstrikes and military operations.

The first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19, was scheduled to last six weeks, with negotiations set to begin for a second phase. However, there were already concerns that fighting would resume once this initial phase ended in early March.

However, Hamas later clarified that the postponement was a “warning signal” to Israel, adding that there were still five days left for mediators—the United States, Qatar, and Egypt—to pressure Israel into complying with the agreement. “The door remains open for the exchange to proceed as planned if Israel abides by its obligations,” Hamas said in a statement. Mediators have not yet issued a public response.

Since the ceasefire began on January 19, 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released in exchange for 566 prisoners. By the end of the first stage in three weeks, 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are expected to be freed, though Israel says eight of the hostages are dead. Hamas took 251 hostages and killed about 1,200 people in its October 2023 attack, prompting Israel’s military response, which has killed at least 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

(With Inputs from Associated Press And Reuters)

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