Netanyahu Warns Hamas: Ceasefire at Risk if Hostages Are Not Released by Saturday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a warning to Hamas, stating that Israel will resume intense military operations in Gaza if the group fails to release hostages by Saturday noon (10:00 GMT).

Netanyahu’s statement comes after Hamas announced it was postponing further hostage releases indefinitely. In response, he has ordered Israeli forces to strengthen their presence inside and around Gaza.

The prime minister did not clarify whether his ultimatum applies to all 76 remaining hostages or just the three expected to be released on Saturday.

Hamas, meanwhile, has insisted it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement and has accused Israel of being "responsible for any complications or delays."

Hamas Accuses Israel of Ceasefire Violations as Uncertainty Looms Over Hostage Deal

Hamas has accused Israel of breaching the three-week-old ceasefire agreement, claiming that Israeli forces have obstructed the delivery of vital humanitarian aid—a charge Israel denies.

It remains unclear whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to completely dismantle the ceasefire if all remaining hostages are not freed by the Saturday deadline.

Meanwhile, Arab nations are reportedly pressuring Hamas to adhere to the agreement and resume the release of hostages.

Egypt has announced plans to propose a "comprehensive vision" for Gaza’s reconstruction, explicitly rejecting any displacement of its population, in contrast to a proposal put forward by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s

Hamas’s decision to delay the scheduled release of hostages this weekend has drawn a strong response from Trump, who suggested that Israel should abandon the agreement and "let hell break out" unless "all of the hostages" are returned by Saturday.

Netanyahu Warns of Renewed Fighting as Tensions Over Hostage Release Escalate

Following a four-hour meeting of Israel's security cabinet on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning to Hamas, stating that the ceasefire would end and intense military operations would resume if hostages were not released by Saturday noon.

In a video statement, Netanyahu said he "welcomed President Trump's demand" for all hostages to be freed. He also revealed that he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to amass troops inside and around Gaza in response to Hamas’s decision to delay the release of captives.

"This action is being carried out at this hour and will be completed very soon," he said. Netanyahu emphasized that his ultimatum had unanimous approval from the security cabinet, declaring: "If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas."

There have been conflicting statements from Israeli officials regarding the specific conditions of Netanyahu’s ultimatum. While one source told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the ceasefire could continue if the next group of three hostages was freed on Saturday as scheduled, Transport Minister and war cabinet member Miri Regev later posted on X: "We made a very clear decision: We adhere to US President Donald Trump's statement regarding the release of the hostages – on Saturday, everyone will be released!"

Meanwhile, the IDF announced that it had heightened the readiness level of its Southern Command, which oversees operations in Gaza, and reinforced its forces with additional troops, including reservists.

Hamas Rejects Trump's Gaza Plan as Ceasefire Uncertainty Grows

Hamas has reiterated its strong opposition to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal for the U.S. to take control of post-war Gaza and permanently relocate its two million Palestinian residents. Under Trump’s vision, Gaza would be rebuilt and transformed into the "Riviera of the Middle East."

Palestinians have expressed deep concerns over the proposal, fearing a repeat of the Nakba ("catastrophe") of 1948, when hundreds of thousands were displaced during the war that followed Israel's creation. Many of those refugees settled in Gaza, where they and their descendants now make up 75% of the population. The UN estimates that an additional 900,000 registered Palestinian refugees live in the occupied West Bank, with another 3.4 million residing in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

Hamas denounced Trump’s remarks as "racist" and an attempt at "ethnic cleansing," accusing him of seeking to "liquidate the Palestinian cause and deny our people's inalienable national rights." The Palestinian Authority and multiple Arab states have also categorically rejected the plan, while the UN warned that any forced displacement would be prohibited under international law and could amount to ethnic cleansing.

Despite widespread condemnation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Trump’s "revolutionary vision" for Gaza.

Meanwhile, efforts to salvage the ceasefire deal continue. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told the BBC that mediators from the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt still have an opportunity to intervene and prevent the agreement from collapsing.

"We don't wish that this deal will fall apart," Naim said. "We are doing the maximum to avoid any obstacles, any challenges, and therefore we are ready to hand over prisoners next Saturday if the situation is rectified through the mediators."

He accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire terms, including delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza and obstructing deliveries of vital humanitarian aid such as food, medicine, and shelter supplies.

Ceasefire Deal Faces Uncertainty as Hostage Releases Continue

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is intended to last six weeks, facilitating the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza.

Since the ceasefire took effect on January 19, Hamas has released 16 living Israeli hostages. Additionally, five Thai nationals have been freed outside the terms of the deal.

Seventeen Israeli hostages remain to be released over the next three weeks, including two children, one woman, five men over 50, and nine younger men. Both sides acknowledge that eight of these hostages are deceased, though only one has been publicly identified.

As part of the agreement, Israeli forces have withdrawn from densely populated areas of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in the north. Additionally, hundreds of aid trucks have entered the territory daily.

The war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 48,210 people have been killed since the conflict began. Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times, with nearly 70% of buildings estimated to be damaged or destroyed. The healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene systems have collapsed, while shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter continue to worsen.

References