Israel signals it will stick to hostage release plan if Hamas honours schedule

Government issues statement after Trump declaration created confusion, as it warns it could still go back to war. The Israeli government has signalled it intends to stick to the hostage release schedule agreed in the ceasefire deal with Hamas, but warned that if the anticipated three surviving hostages were not released on Saturday, it would go back to war in Gaza. The statement from the prime minister’s office ends nearly three days of confusion following Donald Trump’s declaration that Israel should demand Hamas release all the remaining hostages, more than 70 people, by Saturday or failing that, end the ceasefire.

Since Trump’s remarks, Benjamin Netanyahu and his government had been vague on how many hostages they wanted released on Saturday, but a spokesperson, David Mencer, confirmed on Thursday that the Israeli demand was for three hostages as laid out in the timetable of the ceasefire agreement. “There is a framework in place for the release of our hostages,” Mencer said. “That framework makes clear that three live hostages must be released by Hamas terrorists on Saturday.”.

Earlier this week Hamas had suggested there might be an indefinite delay in the release of the next three hostages due to violations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), but it backpedalled on that threat on Thursday and confirmed the timetable would remain on track. Mencer refused to comment on Hamas’s apparent about-turn and criticised a journalist for asking about it. “Hamas is a genocidal terrorist organisation and simply throwing their quotes at me reflects badly on you, frankly,” he said, adding that Israel would wait for the three freed hostages to reach Israeli territory before making a judgment.

“If Hamas violate this agreement and do not release our hostages, the government has made clear that it has instructed our armed forces – and we have already amassed forces inside and surrounding Gaza – if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas,” Mencer said in a video press conference.

It is unclear how many of the remaining 76 hostages are still alive, but the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on 19 January accounts for both the release of live hostages and the repatriation of remains. In the first, six-week phase of the deal, Hamas is to release 33 hostages in return for about 1,900 Palestinians held in Israel prisons. So far, Hamas has released 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages while Israel has freed about 730 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to the periphery of the Gaza Strip. In the second phase of the ceasefire, the IDF is supposed to withdraw entirely from the territory and the remaining hostages are to be released along with hundreds more Palestinians held by Israel. Negotiations on the implementation of the second phase were due to begin last week, but so far Netanyahu has not empowered his negotiators to discuss that phase, which is intended to lead to the longer-term rebuilding of the territory.

The prospect of a broader peace agreement was thrown into doubt by Trump’s shocking suggestion last week, welcomed by Netanyahu, that the US would take possession of Gaza, and that its entire 2.2 million population would be transferred to neighbouring countries. The ceasefire deal, agreed only after nearly 46,000 Palestinians and 1,706 Israelis had died, looked in danger of collapse this week after the Hamas announcement on Monday that it would suspend hostage releases, drawing a rapid response from Trump. “As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday 12 o’clock – I think it’s an appropriate time – I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,” the US president said on Monday night.

Netanyahu and his government praised Trump’s hard line, but had been vague as to whether they would take his advice or stick to the agreed timetable. Egypt and Jordan have said they will not accept the mass transfer of Palestinians from Gaza proposed by Trump. Egypt has called an emergency Arab summit on 27 February to discuss the situation and present a “comprehensive vision” for Gaza’s future. On a visit to Washington on Tuesday, Jordan’s King Abdullah also restated the consensus that Gaza should be rebuilt without the mass expulsion of its residents, and returned to Amman on Thursday to a hero’s welcome, without thousands lining the street in support of his stance.