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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel will end the ceasefire in Gaza unless Hamas returns its remaining hostages by Saturday.
Netanyahu said Israeli troops were already gathering in and around Gaza, and warned that unless Israel’s ultimatum was met, “the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated.”
His comments echo US President Donald Trump who said Monday that Israel should break its ceasefire agreement with Hamas and “let all hell break out” if the militant group fails to release the hostages.
Their threats came after Hamas on Monday suspended a scheduled hostage release until further notice, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire terms by attacking freed Palestinian prisoners returning to Gaza and blocking aid from entering the enclave.
Hamas has said that the “door remains open” for some hostages to be released Saturday, suggesting that the group is giving time for the impasse to be resolved, the BBC wrote.
Trump also faces a tense meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah Tuesday after the US president threatened to withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt unless they supported his plan to take in Palestinians forcibly removed from Gaza.
Despite being the first Arab leader to meet Trump in his second term, “this visit is more a burden than an honour” for Abdullah, The Economist wrote.
US aid is vitally important to Jordan, making up 12% of the nation’s annual budget, but a fresh influx of people to the country — which is already home to more than 2.4 million Palestinians — could also prove destabilizing.
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Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump faces a tense meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah Tuesday after saying he may withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don’t support his plan to take in Palestinians forcibly moved from Gaza.
Despite being the first Arab leader to meet Trump in his second term, “this visit is more a burden than an honour” for Abdullah, The Economist wrote.
US aid is vitally important to Jordan, making up 12% of the nation’s annual budget, but a fresh influx of people to the country — which is already home to more than 2.4 million Palestinians — could also prove destabilizing.