Israel’s minister of defense on Wednesday vowed that “all hell will break loose” on Hamas if it fails to free hostages this weekend as planned, stepping up threats against the militant group as mediators worked to salvage their ceasefire.
There were signs that the gaps could be bridged. The dispute was sparked when Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet some commitments under the truce, including the delivery of tents and other aid, and said it would delay the next hostage release tomorrow.
Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi said there were “positive signals” that the three hostages would be released as planned tomorrow, but the group had not yet received a commitment from Israel that it would adhere to the deal.
Photo: Reuters
An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the two sides were close to an agreement. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations, said Israel had committed to delivering more tents, shelters and heavy equipment to Gaza.
Israeli officials had no immediate comment. Israel says it is fulfilling its obligations under the deal, which went into effect on Jan. 19 and has paused the 16-month war in Gaza, bringing respite to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
In the ceasefire’s current first stage, which is to last 42 days, Israel is to deliver large quantities of aid. Hamas is meant to free 33 hostages taken during its cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war. Eight of them are said to be dead. Twenty-one have been released so far, along with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody.
On Wednesday, Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz said he was echoing US President Donald Trump by threatening that “all hell will break loose” if there is no hostage release on Saturday as planned.
“If Hamas stops releasing the hostages, then there is no deal and there is war,” he said during a visit to a military command center.
The ceasefire’s stability has also been rocked by Trump, who has proposed relocating Palestinians out of Gaza to neighboring Arab countries so the US can “own” and rebuild the territory — not necessarily for its current inhabitants.
Jordan and Egypt, where Trump wants Palestinians moved, have repeatedly and vehemently rejected the proposal. Jordan’s King Abdullah II did so again after his meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
Trump has also suggested Hamas release all the hostages yet to be freed under the ceasefire’s first phase at once — which emboldened Israel to call for more hostages to be freed tomorrow. The releases have been gradual and almost weekly so far.
The latest ceasefire dispute came as Israel and Hamas were expected to begin negotiations on a second phase of the deal, which would extend the truce, bring about the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and see the remaining living hostages freed.
However, there appears to have been little progress on those talks.
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