President Trump, who hosted Jordan’s king on Tuesday, has once again reiterated his idea to move Palestinians out of Gaza, saying it will be a “great economic development”.
The Gaza ceasefire will end if Hamas does not return Israeli hostages by midday on Saturday, Israel’s prime minister has said.
It comes after Hamas said it would postpone Saturday’s planned release, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire.
Trump latest: ‘We’re going to take Gaza’ under ‘US authority’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a return to “intense fighting” and said his cabinet were in unanimous agreement following a four-hour meeting.
He said they “all expressed outrage at the shocking situation of our three hostages who were released last Saturday”.
“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will be terminated, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” the Israeli leader said.
Mr Netanyahu said he had ordered forces to gather “inside and around the Gaza Strip” in readiness.
Donald Trump has said Hamas should release all remaining hostages, rather than just the three planned, and if they aren’t the deal should be cancelled.
Mr Netanyahu said the cabinet “welcomed” the US president’s demand as well as his “revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza”.
It’s currently unclear if the Israeli leader is also calling for all of the remaining hostages to be released on Saturday.
How many captives have been freed?
Five swaps have taken place so far, with 21 hostages – 16 Israelis and five Thais – and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners released as part of an initial 42-day truce.
The most recent was last weekend, when three Israeli men were freed. However, there were concerns over how gaunt they looked after 16 months in captivity.
The five Thai citizens were also reunited with their families following their release last month.
Hamas has said it remains committed to the ceasefire deal if Israel sticks to its terms and dismissed Mr Trump’s “language of threats”.
On Monday, the militant group claimed Israel had violated the ceasefire by “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, and targeting them with shelling and gunfire”.
Culled from: sky news.com
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