Hell will break loose.
USA's President Donald Trump does not mince words when he responds to what can happen if Hamas makes good on its threat. If the terrorist-stamped movement does not return the hostages on Saturday, in accordance with the ongoing ceasefire's timetable, Israel should break the agreement, Trump believes. He does not specify what he means by "hell".
You will notice it – Hamas will notice what I mean.
Broke the agreement?
Similar verbal threats were successful in achieving the ceasefire before Trump's presidential inauguration three weeks ago. But now, halfway into the first of three phases, the agreement is creaking.
Hamas' announcement to pause all prisoner exchanges "until further notice" came on Monday. The terrorist-stamped movement, which rules in the Gaza Strip, announced, however, that the door "still stands open" for the prisoner exchange to continue. According to the ceasefire, three hostages are to be handed over on Saturday.
The announcement about the pause came in light of Hamas' belief that Israel has broken the ceasefire on several occasions. Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for the movement's armed branch al-Qassambrigades, says that Israel has delayed Palestinians' opportunities to return home to northern Gaza Strip and blocked aid shipments to the coastal area.
Wants to "take over" Gaza
The Gaza war has been ongoing since Hamas' large-scale attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Hamas' announcement endangers the fragile ceasefire and sparks strong reactions in the region. Israel describes it as "a total breach of the agreement" regarding the ceasefire.
Trump's warning about "hell" is, however, dismissed by Hamas: the president must "remember that there is an agreement to respect", says a spokesperson according to news agency Reuters, adding that threats have no value and "only complicate the matter".
The situation is complicated by Donald Trump's statement the other day, where he claimed that the USA would "take over" the Palestinian Gaza Strip after the war, move Palestinians, and transform the demolished area into a "Middle Eastern Riviera". He has claimed that the approximately 2 million Gaza residents would agree to leave the area voluntarily, which there is little to suggest.
Among Palestinians, parallels are now being drawn to al-Nakba, "the catastrophe", when hundreds of thousands were forced from their homes in connection with the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. Millions of Palestinians have lived as formal refugees in the region, including in the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza war began with the terrorist-stamped Hamas' large-scale attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The current ceasefire began on January 19 this year and is to last for six weeks.
A key part of the agreement is that Israel releases Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas frees people from the hostages taken during the attack.
Israel is to release a total of around 1,900 prisoners. Exactly how many are released each time is unclear, but it is to happen simultaneously with Hamas releasing the hostages.
When phase one is over, another 60 Israelis are to remain as Hamas' hostages. The idea is that they will be released in a new phase of the ceasefire, which is also to pave the way for a more long-term calm in the Gaza Strip. But the circumstances for this have not yet been negotiated.
Sources: Haaretz, BBC.
