US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Hamas should release all hostages held by the militant group in Gaza by midday Saturday or he would propose canceling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and “let hell break out.”
Trump cautioned that Israel might want to override him on the issue and said he might speak to Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, news agency Reuters reported.
After signing another executive order at the Oval Office, Trump said, “As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock — I think it’s an appropriate time — I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out.”
His remarks came after Hamas announced it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice. The militant organisation accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement, raising concerns that fighting could resume.
As per the ceasefire agreement, Hamas was expected to release more hostages on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees. This had been happening for the past three weeks.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Hamas’ decision violated the ceasefire. He also instructed the military to be at its highest level of readiness in Gaza and for domestic defence.
President Trump also said he might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don’t take Palestinian refugees being relocated from Gaza. He is to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday. The remarks came on a day of some confusion over Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza once the fighting stops.
Israel and Hamas in mid-January agreed to a ceasefire that included the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, as well as the release of more than 1,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons.
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