Israel says Gaza ceasefire will end if Hamas does not free hostages by Saturday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hamas that if the Palestinian organization "does not return our hostages by noon on Saturday," Israel will end the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and resume intense fighting. Netanyahu stated that he had ordered the Israeli army to gather inside and around Gaza in response to Hamas's announcement that it would postpone the release of more hostages until further notice.

Netanyahu did not explicitly state whether he was demanding the release of all the remaining 76 hostages, or just the three who were originally scheduled to be released this Saturday. However, one minister stated that he meant "everyone." Hamas has accused Israel of violating the three-week ceasefire agreement, including preventing crucial humanitarian aid, a claim that Israel has denied.

Following a four-hour meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet on Tuesday, Netanyahu stated in a video statement that he "welcomed President Trump's request." He added: "Given Hamas's announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I instructed the IDF to prepare forces inside and around the Gaza Strip. This is taking place as we speak and will be completed soon."

He then issued an ultimatum, stating that it had received unanimous approval from the Security Cabinet. "If Hamas does not return our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire agreement will end, and the IDF will resume intense fighting until Hamas is completely defeated." There have been conflicting statements from Israeli officials regarding whether Netanyahu meant that Hamas should release all remaining hostages.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said it had raised the level of readiness of its Southern Command, which is responsible for operations in Gaza, and would send additional troops, including reservists. Hamas also reiterated on Tuesday its rejection of Trump's controversial plan for the United States to take over post-war Gaza and permanently relocate the 2 million Palestinians living there in order to rebuild it and turn it into a "Middle Eastern Riviera." Hamas said Trump's remarks were "racist and constitute a call for ethnic cleansing aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause and depriving our people of their inalienable national rights."

The Palestinian Authority and Arab countries have also flatly rejected the plan, while the United Nations has warned that any forced displacement would violate international law and "amount to ethnic cleansing." Netanyahu praised the President's "revolutionary vision" for Gaza.

Earlier on Tuesday, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told the BBC that mediators from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt could intervene to get the ceasefire agreement back on track. "We do not want this agreement to break down," he said. "We are doing our best to avoid any obstacles, any challenges, so if the situation is corrected through mediators, we are ready to hand over prisoners next Saturday." He accused Israel of "continuing violations" of the ceasefire agreement, including delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza by 48 to 72 hours and obstructing the delivery of much-needed food, medical, and shelter supplies.

The Israeli military said it was sending reinforcements to southern Israel after Netanyahu's statement. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is expected to last six weeks, with a total of 33 Israeli hostages being exchanged for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza. Since the ceasefire took effect on January 19, 16 living hostages have been released. Hamas also handed over five Thai hostages outside of the agreement's terms. The remaining 17 Israeli hostages—two children, one woman, five men over 50, and nine men under 50—are expected to be released in the next three weeks. Both sides have said that eight of the hostages are already dead, but only one has been identified.

The agreement also prompted Israeli forces to withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza, with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians returning to their homes in the north, and hundreds of aid trucks being allowed into the area each day. The Israeli military launched an operation to destroy Hamas in response to the unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 people hostage. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in the region, more than 48,210 people have been killed in Gaza since then. Much of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times, with an estimated nearly 70% of buildings damaged or destroyed, healthcare, water, sanitation, and personal hygiene systems having collapsed, and a lack of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter.