Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, threatened on Tuesday to pull out of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. He also told troops to get ready to fight Hamas again if they do not release more hostages by Saturday.

Hamas announced Monday, and repeated it Tuesday, that it would delay the release three more hostages. It accused Israel of not meeting the terms of a ceasefire agreement by not allowing a certain number of tents or other aid to Gaza.

In the midst of the rising tensions, U.S. president Donald Trump encouraged Israel to demand the release of more hostages on Saturday.

Trump questions the durability of the ceasefire

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Trump said that after meeting Jordan’s King Abdullah at the White House, he would not be able to get all of the remaining hostages released as he demanded.

Hamas, the president stated: “I personally don’t believe they will make the deadline.” “They’re trying to be tough.” “We’ll see just how tough they really are.”

Hamas released 21 hostages since the ceasefire came into effect in five separate exchanges of more than 730 Palestinian prisoner. In a second phase, all hostages must be returned and the truce will continue indefinitely. Trump’s comments about the impending release of hostages and his plans for Gaza post-war have destabilized Gaza’s fragile architecture.

It was not immediately clear if Netanyahu’s threats referred to three hostages who were scheduled to be released on Saturday, or all of the remaining hostages. This would mean a departure from terms of the ceasefire. Netanyahu’s Office said that it “welcomed the President Trump’s request.”

While Trump was speaking to reporters in Washington, reiterating his demands, a senior Israeli official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity for a discussion of a private meeting said that Israel “kept to Trump’s statement regarding the release the hostages.” They will be all released on Saturday, according to the official.

Netanyahu’s Office also stated that it had ordered the military mobilize troops in and around Gaza Strip to prepare for possible scenarios.

Trump said that Israel should end the ceasefire if the 70 or so hostages are not freed by this Saturday. Hamas dismissed his threat on Tuesday and reaffirmed its claim that Israel had violated the ceasefire. It also warned that it will only release hostages if both sides adhere to the ceasefire.

Trump must not forget that both parties must respect an agreement. Hamas’ Sami Abu Zuhri stated Tuesday that this was the only way for prisoners to be brought back. The language of threats is useless; it complicates the situation.

The group condemned Trump’s White House comments, saying that they were a “call to ethnic cleansing”, and accused Trump of trying to “liquidate Palestinian cause and deny national rights of Palestinian people.”

In a statement, it said that it was committed to the ceasefire but did not mention its plans to suspend hostage releases as outlined in phase one of the agreement.

Jordan, a U.S. allie, faces new pressures

Trump hosted King Abdullah in Washington, as he intensifies pressure on Jordan to accept refugees from Gaza, possibly permanently, as part his audacious plans to remake the Middle East.

“We won’t buy anything.” Trump declared that the U.S. would control Gaza, as Jordanian King stood by.

Reporters asked Abdullah II about Trump’s plan for a new Middle East. He didn’t respond in any substantive way. He did not make any comments on the possibility that many Gaza refugees could be accepted in Jordan where there are already millions of Palestinian refugees.

Jordan will take up to 2,000 Gaza children with cancer or other illnesses, the king stated.

The top World Health Organization official in Gaza told reporters last week that between 12,000 to 14,000 patients need medical evacuation, including 5,000 children.

The Palestinians, as well as the international community, have been outraged by Trump’s recent remarks that Palestinians who may be expelled from Gaza will not have the right to return.

During the six-week first phase of the ceasefire Hamas pledged to release 33 hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel while Israel promised to release almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides have exchanged prisoners five times since January 19.

If there is no agreement on the second, more complex phase of the ceasefire, the war could return in early March. If it happens, Israel will be faced with a dramatically different battlefield. Israel forced hundreds of thousands to flee to southern Gaza during the early stages, but now many of these displaced Palestinians are allowed to return to their homes. This poses a new problem for its ability to move troops on the ground.