Israel reaffirmed the commitment to the scheduled release of hostages under the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, although former U.S. President Donald Trump urged them to release all the remaining hostages by February 15.
The Israeli officials confirmed that their demands for Hamas’s release of three hostages according to schedule are within the original deal.
A spokesman for the government of Israel, David Mencer, reported on February 13,“There is a framework in place for the release of our hostages… That framework makes clear that three live hostages must be released by Hamas on Saturday,” according to The Guardian.
Earlier, Trump had proposed that Israel might urge the release of all remaining hostages or return to warfare in Gaza. Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially showed support for Trump’s views, his administration did not indicate whether it would actually adhere to such an ultimatum.
Trump’s remarks have raised concerns about the long-term stability of the ceasefire. Last week, he suggested that the U.S. should take control of Gaza and relocate its 2.2 million inhabitants to neighboring countries.
Hamas Reaffirms Ceasefire Commitment Amid Hostage Release Talks
The truce, which began on January 19, was earlier this week at risk of deterioration when Hamas threatened it could stop further hostage releases if there were breaches by the Israeli Defense Forces. But by Thursday, Hamas again confirmed adherence to the schedule of releases.
Mencer did not comment on the reasons behind Hamas’s change in position but assured that Israel would evaluate Hamas’s adherence once the hostages were returned. He stated, “If Hamas violates this agreement and does not release our hostages, the government has made clear that it has instructed our armed forces – and we have already amassed forces inside and surrounding Gaza – that 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.”
