President Donald Trump praised the release of three more hostages, including the last living American, but warned Hamas that he will support Israel in whatever it decided following the passing of the noon deadline.
"Hamas has just released three Hostages from GAZA, including an American Citizen. They seem to be in good shape! This differs from their statement last week that they would not release any Hostages. Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Israel has not imposed such a deadline. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he would convene the Cabinet as soon as possible to decide on next steps.
Israel released more than 369 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday after Hamas freed three hostages who have been held by Hamas since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war in Gaza. They are Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn, 46; American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, 29.
Just over two weeks remain in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which began on Jan. 19.
On Monday, Netanyahu said that the ceasefire will "be terminated and the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated" if the remaining hostages are not returned.
Trump echoed those statements, saying that "all hell will break out" if Hamas did not meet the demands of the ceasefire. This week, Hamas accused Isreal of violating the terms of the agreement.
Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said on Monday, "The resistance leadership monitored the enemy's violations and their noncompliance with the terms of the agreement. Meanwhile, the resistance fulfilled all its obligations."
The ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19. Before Saturday, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners had been freed during the truce's first phase.
About 70 hostages remain in Gaza, although nearly half are believed to be dead. The others were released, rescued, or their bodies were recovered.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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