Updated on February 11, 2025 at 6:30 pm
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement Tuesday that if Hamas doesn’t release Israeli hostages in Gaza by noon on Saturday, the Gaza ceasefire will end, and Israel will restart its genocidal war.
“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” Netanyahu said.
The statement comes after President Trump’s call for the ceasefire to be “canceled” if Hamas doesn’t release the hostages by Saturday. Trump stressed that all remaining hostages should be released, while Netanyahu didn’t specify a number.
An Israeli official speaking to The Times of Israel said Israel will resume bombing Gaza if nine hostages are not released by Saturday, which is not part of the current truce deal. There are still 17 hostages held by Hamas that are supposed to be released under the first phase of the ceasefire, but only nine are believed to be alive.
Later in the day, another Israeli official said that Israel was actually demanding that Hamas release all 76 of the remaining hostages, which includes some who are already dead.
Hamas is scheduled to release three hostages on Saturday under the deal but has said that release is postponed until Israel stops violating the ceasefire. Netanyahu and the Israeli official speaking to the Times said their demand was justified, claiming that Hamas’s announcement was a ceasefire violation. But Israeli officials admitted to The New York Times that Hamas’s claims about Israel’s truce violations were accurate.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel agreed to allow hundreds of thousands of tents into Gaza, but only a fraction of that number have entered. Israel has also blocked mobile homes from entering Gaza, and Israeli forces have killed at least 92 Palestinians since the truce went into effect on January 19.
Hamas announced it was postponing the hostage release after repeated calls from President Trump that Palestinians in Gaza must be removed permanently under his plan for the US to “take over” the Gaza Strip. Trump’s calls have emboldened elements of the Israeli government that have opposed the ceasefire deal.
“Mr. Prime Minister, I call on you, following such a moral, simple, and clear statement by President Trump, to inform Hamas unequivocally: Either all the hostages are released by Saturday – the beatings are over, the games are over, or the gates of hell are opened on them, and that means no electricity, no water, no fuel, no humanitarian aid,” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X.
“There is only fire and brimstone from our planes and artillery and tanks and our heroic fighters. There is a complete occupation of the Gaza Strip. There is an expulsion of all Gazans from the Strip in continuation of President Trump’s plan, there is a taking of territory and the imposition of sovereignty over it, because this is the painful price that our enemy understands,” he added.
Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party who quit the government over the ceasefire deal, said Trump is “giving the government the green light to rain fire and hell on Gaza if all our hostages are not released, and the government prefers to continue down the reckless path.”
“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” – Netanyahu
“If all the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock, I think it’s an appropriate time. I would say cancel it, and all bets are off. Let hell break out,” – Trump
Hard to tell them apart. Here's a hint, one of them is our president. Not enough?
Yahoo probably is repeating what Trump says.
With glee.
It is all so infuriately sad. But the whole thing now rests with the world and the Arab nations. If the world and the Arab nations are so weak, frightened or grifting from the bullies, then the bullies will have won.
If that is allowed, slowly humanity as we know it will be replaced by an inhuman, AI like super bully that will eventually control everything.
Will we be able to tell the difference?
Some won't some will. Depends who wins over whom.
What else does Netanyahu want to blow up?
We knew from the beginning that Israel was going to use this hostage issue to continue the violence. It's an open ended issue which they will use until it no longer works.
Whatever he wants to blow up, he already has Sherrif Trump's permission if the hostages aren't released by high noon Saturday.
He might step down for a President Vance. Trump doesn’t have the stomach for what Netanyahu will do in his name.
I doubt there’s much dirt on Vance. He’ll be like Obama on Israel.
Trump is as bloodthirsty at Netanyahu. Why would he step down?
I don’t think he enjoys the sort of thing he’ll witness in Gaza, not to mention the other places.
Obama was shocked by maps of Israel’s expanding settlements. Trump, too, will be shocked into reality at some point.
Netanyahu is following trump's lead. Or is trump following Netanyahu=s lead? Or are they both following the real boss. Musk?
Musk cares about South Africa and Europe. He doesn’t care about Israel, except when the ADL is shaking him down after a bad upvote.
No one can prove how many hostages live. So…
Trump wants to blow them up as well if they don't behave and move like good little children to their "beautiful housing" that Trump promises them.
Trump is emboldening them, a collaborator, making their excuses and self-congratulation easier.
Trump wants to “make a deal.”
Trump is playing a dangerous game. We know Hamas tells the truth. Their biggest weakness is the traitor sellouts in the PA, Sisi, King Abdallah and MBS, et al.
There is no weakness on part of Hamas…! PA, Sisi, King Abdullah and MBS are the weak ones…!
Hamas tells the truth? Rarely.
They have a lot of weaknesses, but the biggest problem is their entire movement is based on lies. Look at their charter – it is filled with lies, such as supporting the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, or claiming that Jews secretly start all wars.
They also make the mistake of supporting US enemies, such as Iran.
That will never happen…!
I am not 100% sure about that. There are many Americans who do not want just Hamas defeated but all Palestinians in order for "peace" and "goodness to prevail over evil".
You are right of course that in the end in spirit Hamas and the Palestinians will not be defeated
What Evil…?!
The spiritual defeat of Israel by Hamas would manifest itself into material existence…!
Well you have not listen to many Evangelicals then. I put it into quotation marks. They truly believe that Hamas is evil adn that Islam is a satanic religion.
This move should lock in that Nobel Peace prize…..yeah, right.
Nothing is left out of Smotrich sleeve…! Those are all old school and Hamas and Gazans are ready for them… been there, done that… They've faced them, bear them, died for them, fought for them, survived them, and came out victor on them…!
No more footing the bill for Israel!!!
Lie! Deny! And Occupy!….
Displacement plan?!…
https://www.themoscowtimes.com
Not one more dime for blessed Israel!…!
Peace, truth and justice!!!
No one with a shred of decency and honor would serve in the American or Israeli administration, that is serving mad dogs, killers.
Trump/ Musk almighty believe they are gods when they are nothing but turds on legs. There are no words to describe the vile creatures they are.
They may be vile creatures but at the moment they are running the show and country after country seem to cave and bow to them.
That makes it so painful, they are in power and the people who could stop them don't.
We're left to conclude that Israel's Palestinian genocide will be completed by this Sunday or Monday. It's doubtful the US MSM will provide video accounts. America's contribution is indifference and 2,000 lb. bombs.
The AIPAC-sponsored US House and Senate won't be compelled to start impeachment proceedings against President Trump.
Americans' opinions will be mixed, but the MSM will ignore them. American clerics may be conspicuously silent for some time. The Christian Zionists' hypocrisy and baseness are overwhelming.
My best wishes to the Houthis and Iran, who remain steadfast in supporting Palestinians.
I totally agree with you. All of them tell us how well they know how bad NAZIS are and yet it does not dawn on them that the Zionist Israelis and Americans are war criminals and they are complicit, journalists who knowingly omit pertinent facts covering up war crimes are war criminals and so are pilots following illegal orders based on the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal .
"Trump stressed that all remaining hostages should be released, while Netanyahu didn’t specify a number."
"…another Israeli official said that Israel was actually demanding that Hamas release all 76 of the remaining hostages, which includes some who are already dead."
So this is what I talked about yesterday. Is (76) the total complete official number of hostages still held by Hamas, including dead bodies to be repatriated ? Is (76) NOT the number and the ASI government has another total in mind – or none at all ?
I repeat my high certainly that the genocide by the ASI against Palestinians WILL continue regardless of how many (9, 14, 76, 176, 1776…?) hostages are released on Saturday.
On October 8, 2023, Hamas declared that they are ready for the hostage exchange which Israel subsequently ignored and started the bombing campaign…! So Hamas knew then…!
“Freedom’s just another word, for nothing left to lose!… “
Donna, you too run out of words to express your feelings. I keep repeating myself, I can't put in words my anger and disgust and shame for them in DC and Tel Aviv, they make Hitler pale compared to them.