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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and resume its war against Hamas if the militant group does not go ahead with the next scheduled release of hostages on Saturday.
Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement, including by not allowing a surge of tents and shelters into the devastated territory. U.S. President Donald Trump threated that “all hell” will break out if the militant group does not release the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Saturday.
At the White House, Trump is hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II as he escalates pressure on the key U.S. ally to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East. Palestinians and the international community have seethed over Trump’s recent comments that any Palestinians potentially expelled from Gaza would not have a right to return.
During the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas has committed to freeing a total of 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack in exchange for Israel releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The sides have carried out five swaps since Jan. 19, freeing 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners so far. The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce.
Here’s the latest:
Egypt is working on its own Gaza plan that would keep Palestinians on their land
CAIRO — Egypt says it will unveil its own plan for rebuilding Gaza that would keep Palestinians on their land and respect their rights, as U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his call to expel Gaza’s population from the devastated territory.
In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it hopes to work with the Trump administration on a plan for reconstructing Gaza that won’t jeopardize regional peace and stability. Egypt and Jordan have raised security concerns about Trump’s plan for them to take in large numbers of additional Palestinian refugees, even temporarily.
Arab leaders and senior officials will meet soon to coordinate their positions in the face of Trump’s plan, said Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, in an interview with state-run Al-Mamlaka TV.
Jordan wants to immediately evacuate 2,000 Gaza kids who need medical care
WASHINGTON — After meeting with President Donald Trump, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Tuesday that his country would be willing “right away” to take as many as 2,000 children in Gaza who have cancer or are otherwise ill.
Last week, the top World Health Organization official for Gaza said between 12,000 and 14,000 patients still need medical evacuation from the territory — including 5,000 children. At the current rate, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn said medical evacuations will take five to 10 years and critically ill patients will die.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister,
Hamas says Trump’s Gaza plan is ‘a call for ethnic cleansing’
CAIRO — The Palestinian militant group Hamas condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to empty Gaza of its Palestinian residents, alleging his comments Tuesday were “racist” and “a call for ethnic cleansing.”
The group declared Tuesday that Gaza’s residents have endured relentless bombardment and aggression but remain steadfast in their homeland.
In a statement on the messaging app Telegram, Hamas accused Trump of seeking to “liquidate the Palestinian cause and deny the national rights of the Palestinian people.”
Trump repeated his plan Tuesday for the U.S. to take control of Gaza and remove its population. Neighboring Arab governments and the Palestinians have roundly rejected the idea. United Nations experts define ethnic cleansing as a policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove the civilian population of another group from certain areas “by violent and terror-inspiring means.”
Hamas also reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement with Israel mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.
“However, Israel has failed to uphold its obligations, and it bears full responsibility for any complications or delays,” Hamas stated. The group has said it will delay the next release of three Israeli hostages set for Saturday, accusing Israel of violating the truce deal.
Jordan’s king rejects Trump’s plan for Gaza
WASHINGTON — Jordan’s King Abdullah II renewed the Arab nations’ unified rejection of a plan by President Donald Trump to seek U.S. ownership of the Gaza Strip and expel its Palestinian population.
Following Tuesday’s meeting with Trump at the White House, Abdullah called on the U.S. to take a leading role in creating peace and stability in the Middle East. He said addressing the dire humanitarian situation in war-torn Gaza by rebuilding — not displacing its population — should be the main focus of all parties.
“This requires US leadership. President Trump is a man of peace,” Abdullah said in post on the social media platform X. “He was instrumental in securing the Gaza ceasefire. We look to US and all stakeholders in ensuring it holds.”
A “just peace” would see an independent Palestinian state established alongside Israel, the king said. Jordan is already home to more than 2 million Palestinian refugees.
After the meeting, Abdullah was asked repeatedly by reporters about Trump’s plan to clear out Gaza and overhaul it as a resort on the Mediterranean Sea — but didn’t make substantive comments on it while also not committing to the idea that his country could accept large numbers of new refugees from Gaza.
Trump, hosting Jordan’s king, renews his insistence that the US can control and redevelop Gaza
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump renewed his suggestions that Gaza could be emptied of residents, controlled by the U.S. and redeveloped as a tourist area, but said it wouldn’t require committing funds and insisted that he personally would not be involved in development.
“We’re not going to buy anything. We’re going to have it,” Trump said of U.S. control in Gaza, which he said would be possible, “Under the U.S. authority,” without elaborating what that actually was. Trump has suggested Palestinians in the war-torn territory would be pushed into neighboring nations with no right of return.
The president spoke after meeting Tuesday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who was asked repeatedly by reporters about Trump’s audacious plan to remake the Middle East, but didn’t make substantive comments on it nor the idea that his country could accept large numbers of new refugees from Gaza.
Trump also renewed his suggestions that a tenuous ceasefire between Hamas and Israel could be canceled if Hamas doesn’t release all the remaining hostages by midday Saturday.
“I don’t think they’re going to make the deadline, personally,” Trump said of Hamas. “They want to play tough guy. We’ll see how tough they are.”
Netanyahu threatens to resume fighting in Gaza if hostages aren’t released Saturday
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and resume its war against Hamas if the militant group does not go ahead with the next scheduled release of hostages on Saturday.
Hamas repeated its warning Tuesday that it planned to delay the release of three more hostages after accusing Israel breaking the terms of the ceasefire, including by not allowing enough tents and other aid into Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump has emboldened Israel to call for the release of even more remaining hostages on Saturday, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether Netanyahu’s threat referred to the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza, or just the three scheduled for release on Saturday.
Israel orders more troops to Gaza as the ceasefire with Hamas falters
JERUSALEM — An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to increase troops in and around the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it would call off a scheduled hostage release this weekend.
The official said Netanyahu also ordered officials “to prepare for every scenario if Hamas doesn’t release our hostages this Saturday.” The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting, was not clear if Netanyahu’s order referred to all hostages, or the three scheduled for release on Saturday.
The preparation plans come after Netanyahu met with his Security Cabinet for four hours on Tuesday to discuss Hamas’ threat, which has put the fragile ceasefire agreement in danger. Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire, including by not allowing enough of the agreed-upon tents and shelters into the Gaza Strip.
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By Josef Federman
