Gaza ceasefire to end if hostages not returned by Saturday: Israeli PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that if the Israeli hostages held in Gaza were not returned by Saturday, the ceasefire with Hamas will be canceled, and Israel will resume "intensive fighting" in the war-torn enclave.

In a video statement, Netanyahu said the move was unanimously approved by his Cabinet ministers during a four-hour meeting held in the afternoon.

Under the decision, "if Hamas does not return our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated," he said.

All of Israel's Cabinet ministers welcomed US President Donald Trump's Gaza takeover plan and his ceasefire ultimatum, the prime minister added.

Netanyahu's remarks came a day after Hamas announced that the handover of hostages scheduled for Saturday would be postponed until further notice.

On Monday, Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement that during the past three weeks, the resistance leadership had monitored Israel's failures to abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Accordingly, the handover of the hostages will be postponed until further notice and until Israel ensures adherence to the deal and compensates for the past weeks retroactively, Obeida noted. "We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them."

In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday in a statement that Hamas' announcement is "a complete violation of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal."

Katz said he had ordered the IDF to "prepare at the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to defend the communities near the enclave."

The Israeli military announced on Tuesday that it would increase its forces near the Gaza Strip and call up reservists after the Israeli Cabinet decided to cancel the ceasefire with Hamas if the Israeli hostages were not returned by Saturday.

A military spokesperson confirmed in a statement, "It was decided to reinforce the area with additional troops, including reservists." The spokesperson emphasized that this decision was made "in accordance with the situational assessment."

The spokesperson further explained, "The reinforcements and mobilization of reservists are being implemented to prepare for various scenarios."

Trump also issued an ultimatum to Hamas on Monday, saying if all Israeli hostages were not released from Gaza by noon on Saturday, he would propose canceling the ceasefire agreement and letting "all hell break loose."

These developments came after an Israeli delegation returned from Qatar, where indirect talks were held regarding the next phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, and amid continuous regional and international outcry against Trump's and Netanyahu's remarks made recently concerning Gaza.

On February 4, Trump announced a controversial plan to take over the Gaza Strip and relocate Palestinians from the enclave during a joint press conference with Netanyahu in Washington.

Two days later, Netanyahu suggested during an interview with Israel's Channel 14 that "Saudis can establish a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have plenty of land there."

On Monday, when being asked in an interview with Fox News if the Palestinians now residing in Gaza, who under Trump's proposal will face forced displacement to make way for the rebuilding of the enclave, would "have the right to return," Trump said, "No, they wouldn't."

Reacting to Trump's and Netanyahu's remarks, many countries have voiced their rejection of displacing Palestinians from their homeland and their support for the two-state solution.

Under the current ceasefire, which took effect on January 19 after 15 months of war, 21 hostages — 16 Israelis and five Thais — were released from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees freed from Israeli jails. During the first phase of the agreement, which spans six weeks, 33 Israeli hostages and about 2,000 Palestinian detainees are expected to be released.