Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened on Tuesday that his country would withdraw from a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and resume the war against Hamas if the group, designated a terrorist organization by the US and EU, did not release the next group of hostages by Saturday.
Hamas said on Monday and repeated it on Tuesday that it intends to delay the release of three more hostages, accusing Israel of failing to meet the terms of the ceasefire.
According to Hamas, Israel has not allowed more tents and other humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
US President Donald Trump has encouraged Israel to demand the release of more hostages on Saturday. However, it is not clear whether Netanyahu's threat referred to the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza, or just the three hostages scheduled to be released on Saturday.
Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli official said Netanyahu has ordered the military to send more troops into and around the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu also ordered officials "to prepare for any scenario if Hamas does not release our hostages this Saturday," according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Associated Press reports.
So far, Hamas has released 21 hostages in a series of exchanges for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
President Trump has said Israel should completely cancel the ceasefire if all 70 remaining hostages are not released by Saturday. Hamas rejected his threat on Tuesday, reinforcing its claim that Israel has violated the ceasefire and warning that it will continue to release hostages only if all sides adhere to the ceasefire.
During the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas pledged to release 33 hostages captured during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, while Israel said it would release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The sides have carried out five exchanges since January 19.
The war could resume in early March unless an agreement is reached on the second and more complicated phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the ceasefire.
But if Israel resumes the war, it will face a completely different battlefield.
After forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to relocate to southern Gaza at the start of the war, Israel allowed many of these displaced people to return to what is left of their homes, presenting a new challenge to its ability to move ground troops through the densely populated territory. (A2 Televizion)
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