The Gaza ceasefire appeared increasingly fragile yesterday after Hamas said US President Donald Trump’s latest warning “further complicates” the agreement with Israel, which has so far led to five hostage-prisoner swaps.
Trump said that “all hell” would break out if Hamas failed to release all Israeli hostages by the weekend.
The truce, in place since Jan. 19, largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, but has come under strain.
Photo: AFP
International efforts to salvage it intensified, with Jordan’s King Abdullah II expected to raise the issue during his meeting with Trump in Washington later yesterday.
Tensions, which initially spiked after Trump proposed last month taking over Gaza and removing its more than 2 million inhabitants, have grown since his latest comments.
“As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday 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,” Trump said on Monday.
The ceasefire agreement calls for staggered releases over the 42-day first phase of the deal.
Senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump’s remark “further complicates matters.”
“Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties and this is the only way to return the prisoners [hostages],” he said. “The language of threats has no value and further complicates matters.”
Another senior Hamas official said Trump should pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to implement the agreement, not procrastinate and obstruct” aid supplies.
“Hamas and the resistance factions are committed to implementing all the terms precisely in order to make the ceasefire a success and protect our people,” he said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Hamas to proceed with the hostage release set for Saturday.
“We must avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to immense tragedy,” Guterres wrote on social media.
War-weary Gazans fear the ceasefire might collapse.
“I pray that the ceasefire holds, but there are no guarantees because the ruling faction in Israel wants war, and I believe there is also a faction within Hamas that wants war,” said Adnan Qassem, 60, from Deir el-Balah. “The people are the ones who suffer and pay the price.”
Trump’s threat came hours after Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said the hostage release scheduled for Saturday was postponed.
It accused Israel of failing to meet its commitments under the agreement, including on aid, and cited the deaths of three Gazans at the weekend, but the group said “the door remains open for the prisoner exchange batch to proceed as planned, once the occupation complies.”
Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz called Hamas’ move a “complete violation” of the ceasefire deal, signaling fighting could resume.
“I have instructed the IDF [military] to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza,” he said.
Negotiators were set to meet in Qatar to discuss the truce’s implementation, which remains unsettled.
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