Israel-Hamas ceasefire: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in Gaza. An Israeli official said Netanyahu has ordered the army to beef up troops in and around the Gaza Strip. The development comes after Hamas threatened to call off a scheduled hostage release on Saturday.
Hamas reiterated that it planned to delay the release of three more hostages after accusing Israel of failing to meet the terms of the ceasefire, including by not allowing an agreed-upon number of tents and other aid into Gaza.
Trump hardens his stand
US President Donald Trump gave a twist after taking a tough stand, asserting all hostages should be released by Saturday. After meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday, Trump predicted Hamas would not release all the remaining hostages as he had demanded.
“I don’t think they’re going to make the deadline, personally,” the President said of Hamas. “They want to play tough guy. We’ll see how tough they are.”
21 hostages released so far
Since the ceasefire took effect, Hamas has released 21 hostages in a series of five exchanges for more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. A second phase calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce. However, Trump’s statements about both the pending releases and plans for post-war Gaza have destabilized its fragile architecture.
Israel orders beefed up troops around Gaza
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has ordered the army to beef up troops in and around the Gaza Strip. An Israeli official said Netanyahu also ordered officials “to prepare for every scenario if Hamas doesn't release our hostages this Saturday”. The preparation plans come after Netanyahu met with his Security Cabinet for four hours on Tuesday to discuss Hamas' threat, which has put the fragile ceasefire agreement in danger.
(With AP Inputs)