Terror group Hamas announced on Thursday that it will be keeping to its plan to release three more Israeli hostages on Saturday.
According to the Associated Press, Hamas had threatened to withhold the hostages after it had accused Israel of not meeting its obligations and violating the ceasefire truce in the Gaza Strip. However, with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel had said it would renew its offensive if the hostagesâ remained captives of Hamas.
Hamas said it had held talks with Egyptian officials and the Qatar Prime Minister to negotiate a deal to get shelter, medical supplies, fuel, and other heavy equipment sent into Gaze to clear out debris.
The statement came only days after Trump had given the terror group an ultimatum, telling reporters that he would let âall hell break outâ if they continued to hold the Israeli hostages beyond Saturday.
âWell, I would say this ⌠if all of the hostages arenât returned by Saturday at 12 oâclock, I think thatâs an appropriate time, I would say, cancel it and all bets are off,â Trump said. âLet hell break out. Iâd say they better be returned by 12 oâclock Saturday, and if theyâre not returned â all of them, not in drips and drabs. Not two and one and three and four and two. Saturday at 12 oâclock, and after that I would say all hell is gonna break out.â
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also said Wednesday that a ânew Gaza warâ would not end until Hamas had been defeated, allowing plans to move everyone out of the Gaza Strip to come into fruition.
When Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House last week, Trump called the Gaza Strip âa messâ and said it was âno place for the livingâ and noted control of the area should be handed to the U.S.
âThe whole thing is a mess,â Trump said.
âI donât think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. Theyâve lived like hell; theyâve lived like youâre living in hell. Gaza is not a place for people to be living. The only reason they want to go back, and I believe this strongly, is they have no alternative. Whatâs the alternative? Go where? If they had an alternative, theyâd much rather not go back to Gaza and live in a beautiful alternative thatâs safe,â he said.
