The precarious ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the fundamentalist group Hamas is on the verge of collapsing, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the release of the hostages before noon on Saturday or the war that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians would resume.
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Netanyahu spoke after a long meeting of the Israeli security cabinet and it is a response to Hamas' decision to delay the release of more hostages, accusing Israel of not allowing enough humanitarian aid to enter.
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What did Netanyahu say after the security cabinet meeting?
"If Hamas does not return our hostages before noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated," declared Netanyahu, who assured that the decision was made unanimously by the security cabinet, which includes the Ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Finance, and National Security, among others.
Anyway, according to The Jerusalem Post citing an Israeli official, of the nine hostages alive in the first phase of the ceasefire, "three could be released on Saturday and then some in the following days." Netanyahu did not specify a number or if he was referring to all of them.
Netanyahu also spoke about the "outrage at the terrible condition in which the three hostages were found last Saturday."
The Israeli armed forces in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas have been reinforced and are ready to take action at any moment, according to the government.
Netanyahu gives almost the same speech as Trump one day earlier
Netanyahu's statements on Tuesday were almost identical to Trump's on Monday.
The American leader stated that, after the release of three visibly malnourished hostages on Saturday, it was time for Israel to demand the return of all captives by noon on Saturday, or to restart the war.
"If they are not here, hell will break loose," said Trump, adding about the ceasefire, "Cancel it and the bets are off."
In an interview with Fox News recorded for the Super Bowl, Trump also confirmed his desire to remove Palestinians from Gaza, to build a real estate project, and that the territory would become "property" of the United States.
"No, they would not" was the response to the question of whether the Gazans would have the right to return to their territory, contradicting other government officials who have tried to say that the president was only asking for a temporary relocation.
This Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Israel said, “We welcomed President Trump’s demand to release our hostages before noon on Saturday, and we also welcomed the President’s revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza.”