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 hostages’ 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 “all hell break out” if they continued to hold the Israeli hostages beyond Saturday.
“Well, I would say this … if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock, I think that’s an appropriate time, I would say, cancel it and all bets are off,” Trump said. “Let hell break out. I’d say they better be returned by 12 o’clock Saturday, and if they’re not returned – all of them, not in drips and drabs. Not two and one and three and four and two. Saturday at 12 o’clock, and after that I would say all hell is gonna break out.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also said Wednesday that a “new Gaza war” 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 “a mess” and said it was “no place for the living” and noted control of the area should be handed to the U.S.
“The whole thing is a mess,” Trump said.
“I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. They’ve lived like hell; they’ve lived like you’re 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. What’s the alternative? Go where? If they had an alternative, they’d much rather not go back to Gaza and live in a beautiful alternative that’s safe,” he said.
