After US President Donald Trump threatened to immediately cancel the Gaza ceasefire if all remaining Israeli hostages were not freed by midday Saturday, Hamas dismissed the warning, stating that future releases would only occur if all parties upheld their commitments under the truce.
“Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties, and this is the only way to bring back the prisoners. The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Tuesday.
On Monday night, Hamas announced that 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 claimed 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 Israeli hostages held in Gaza were not returned by Saturday noon, he would propose cancelling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and letting ‘all hell break loose’, though he emphasized that the final decision rested with 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.”
A total of 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. However, following Hamas’ announcement, Israel’s security cabinet has moved up its meeting as families of the remaining hostages warn that time is running out.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz also called Hamas’ announcement a “complete violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
Katz further stated that 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.
Rising tensions in Gaza
The delay has also sparked concerns in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have begun returning to the northern part of the territory, trying to reclaim what remains of their homes. Many had fled in the early weeks of the war, and the ceasefire provided a rare opportunity for them to return. However, uncertainty over the agreement’s future has left many fearing renewed airstrikes and military operations.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19, was set to last six weeks, with negotiations planned for a second phase. However, concerns had already emerged that fighting would resume once the initial phase ended in early March.
Later, Hamas clarified that the postponement was meant as a “warning signal” to Israel, emphasizing 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 phase in three weeks, a total of 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.
