A senior Hamas leader said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump’s threat to immediately release all Israeli hostages had “further complicated” issues related to the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
“Trump should remember that there is an agreement that both sides must respect and this is the only way to return the prisoners (hostages),” said Sami Abu Zuhri, adding, “Threatening language has no value and only complicates matters.”
The ceasefire, which came into effect on January 19, largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza and saw the release of five groups of Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
But tensions rose last month after Trump proposed annexing Gaza and removing more than two million residents. He added pressure on Monday, saying he would call for an end to the ceasefire if all Israeli hostages were not released by Saturday afternoon.
“I think if all the hostages are not released by 12 noon on Saturday — I think that’s a good time — then I say it should be terminated and all conditions should be terminated and all hell should break loose,” Trump told reporters at the White House. According to the ceasefire agreement, the release should be carried out in phases during the first 42 days of the agreement.
Trump’s latest warning came after Hamas said it would postpone the release of another hostage “until further notice,” accusing Israel of failing to meet its commitments under the ceasefire agreement, including aid deliveries.
