Israel says Gaza ceasefire will end if Hamas does not free hostages by Saturday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Gaza ceasefire will end if Hamas does not release Israeli hostages on Saturday noon. 

 

Earlier, Hamas said on Monday that Israeli ceasefire violations have reached a point where it would no longer hold up its end of the bargain and will delay the release of an upcoming group of Israeli captives indefinitely. 

 

Netanyahu said  the Israeli military is ready to “return to



intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated”

 

The ceasefire deal in Gaza began on 19 January, after months of negotiations led by the US, Qatar and Egypt. The deal will be carried out in three phases, the first of which is currently underway. 

 

This phase will last 42 days. In total, 17 Israeli hostages were still due to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire.