Trump Issues Stark Warning: ‘All Hell’ Will Break Loose If Gaza Hostages Aren’t Released by Saturday
US President Donald Trump cautioned that “all hell” would break loose if every Israeli hostage is not freed from Gaza within days, following Hamas’s threat to delay further exchanges under a fragile ceasefire agreement it claims Israel has violated.
The truce, which commenced on January 19, largely halted over 15 months of hostilities in Gaza and resulted in the release of five groups of Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel.
However, tensions have escalated since Mr. Trump’s surprising proposal to take control of Gaza and displace its more than two million residents.
Yesterday, Mr. Trump stated he would call for an end to the ceasefire if every Israeli hostage is not released by noon on Saturday.
The ceasefire agreement stipulates that staggered hostage releases should occur over the ongoing 42-day initial phase of the deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Gazans as ‘revolutionary’.
A spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, announced earlier that the upcoming hostage release, originally set for next Saturday, February 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice.
The spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, indicated that the continuation of hostage-prisoner exchanges is “dependent on the (Israeli) occupation’s compliance and retroactive fulfillment of prior commitments.”
The group accuses Israel of failing to meet its obligations under the truce in a timely manner and violating the ceasefire, particularly regarding humanitarian aid provisions and following the deaths of three Gazans on Sunday.
In a subsequent statement, Hamas claimed it had “deliberately” made its announcement five days prior to the next exchange to give mediators enough time to exert pressure on Israel “to fulfill its obligations. The door remains open for the prisoner exchange to proceed as planned, should the occupation comply.”
Israel reported that its military is preparing for “any possible scenario.”
‘Complete violation’
Negotiators were scheduled to convene in the coming days in Qatar to discuss the execution of the truce’s first phase, as well as the potential next phases which are yet to be finalized.
Conversations regarding a second phase were intended to begin on the truce’s 16th day; however, Israel has declined to send its negotiators to Doha for this purpose.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum advocacy group revealed it had “sought assistance from mediating countries to help effectively restore and implement the existing agreement”.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that the Hamas announcement constitutes a “complete violation” of the ceasefire agreement, indicating that hostilities could resume.
“I have instructed the IDF (military) to remain at the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza,” Mr. Katz added in a statement.
The military later noted that it had elevated “the level of readiness” around Gaza and “decided to significantly bolster the area”.
Trump on Jordan, Egypt
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Mr. Trump’s plan to displace Gazans as “revolutionary,” adopting an optimistic tone in a statement to his cabinet after returning from Washington.
The proposal, which both the United Nations and experts argue would breach international law, has already received extensive criticism.
Mr. Trump mentioned yesterday that he could “conceivably” cut aid to US allies Jordan and Egypt if they resist accepting Palestinians under his contentious Gaza plan.
Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington this week.
The potential withdrawal of aid came after Cairo’s foreign ministry expressed its rejection of “any compromise” involving Palestinian rights, including “remaining on the land”.
During an interview with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier, Mr. Trump stated that Palestinians would not have the right to return to Gaza.
“I’m referring to establishing a permanent place for them because if they were to return now, it would be years before it could ever be – it’s not livable,” Mr. Trump remarked about Gaza.
When asked whether Palestinians would have the right to return, Mr. Trump replied, “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing.”
For many Palestinians, any effort to forcibly remove them from Gaza would resurrect painful recollections of what the Arab world terms the “Nakba” or catastrophe – the mass displacement that occurred during Israel’s founding in 1948.
Despite Mr. Trump’s assertions, displaced Gazans continued to return home after Israeli troops withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor.
As per the current ceasefire, Israel and Hamas on Saturday completed their fifth hostage-prisoner exchange, with three Israeli hostages and 183 Palestinian prisoners released.
Egypt says Arab states reject Trump’s Gaza plan
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday, informing him that Arab nations have dismissed President Trump’s heavily criticized plan to relocate Palestinians in Gaza and take control of the territory.
Egypt’s foreign ministry indicated that during a meeting in Washington, Mr. Abdelatty emphasized the urgency of advancing Gaza’s reconstruction while Palestinians remain there.
A statement issued by the US State Department following the meeting did not explicitly reference Mr. Trump’s plan but noted that Mr. Rubio “reiterated the significance of close cooperation to enhance post-conflict planning for Gaza’s governance and security, adding that Hamas must never again govern Gaza or pose a threat to Israel.”
According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, Mr. Abdelatty expressed a desire to collaborate with the new US administration to achieve “comprehensive and just peace and stability” in the region.
