Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday, the 11th of February, after a meeting with key ministers, including the Ministers of Defence, Foreign Affairs and National Security, who he said fully supported the decision, that a ceasefire would be lifted in the Gaza Strip and that the IDF would resume fighting Hamas until it is defeated if the Palestinian militant group does not release the hostages by noon on Saturday, reports Reuters.
Following Netanyahu’s ultimatum, Hamas issued a statement renewing its commitment to the ceasefire and accusing Israel of undermining the truce.
After nearly 16 months of war, Hamas has been gradually releasing hostages since the 19th of January, when the first phase of the ceasefire began, but said on Monday it would not release any more hostages until further notice, accusing Israel of violating the agreement.
“If Hamas does not return our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intensive fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” Netanyahu said.
It was not immediately clear whether Netanyahu meant that Hamas should release all the hostages held in Gaza or only the three who were to be released on Saturday under the ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump, a close ally of Israel, had previously said that all hostages held by Hamas should be released by Saturday.
The Prime Minister also announced that he had ordered the military to mass forces in and around the Gaza Strip, and shortly afterwards the military announced that it was deploying additional forces in southern Israel, including mobilising reservists.
Hamas has claimed that Israel has violated the ceasefire with a series of bloody shootings, as well as delaying a number of aid deliveries and preventing the return of northern Gazans.
Israel denies that it has withheld aid and claims that it has shelled people who have ignored warnings not to approach Israeli troops.
An Israeli group representing the families of the hostages called on Netanyahu to respect the ceasefire agreement.
“We must not go back. We must not allow hostages to die in captivity,” the hostages’ forum said.
There are 76 hostages still being held in Gaza, more than 35 of whom have died, according to Israeli media. So far, 16 of the 33 hostages released in the first 42 days of the agreement have returned home, as well as five Thai hostages who were released in an unscheduled manner.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 48 000 Palestinians have been killed in the war and almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million pre-war population has been displaced by the conflict.
According to Israeli estimates, the 7th of October 2023 attack led by Hamas on southern Israeli communities killed around 1 200 people and about 250 were captured.