The Gaza ceasefire will end if Hamas does not return Israeli hostages by midday on Saturday, Israel’s prime minister has said.
It comes after Hamas said it would postpone Saturday’s planned release, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire.
Trump latest: ‘We’re going to take Gaza’ under ‘US authority’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a return to “intense fighting” and said his cabinet were in unanimous agreement following a four-hour meeting.
He said they “all expressed outrage at the shocking situation of our three hostages who were released last Saturday”.
“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will be terminated, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” the Israeli leader said.
Mr Netanyahu said he had ordered forces to gather “inside and around the Gaza Strip” in readiness.
Donald Trump has said Hamas should release all remaining hostages, rather than just the three planned, and if they aren’t the deal should be cancelled.
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Will Gaza ceasefire be terminated?
Mr Netanyahu said the cabinet “welcomed” the US president’s demand as well as his “revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza”.
It’s currently unclear if the Israeli leader is also calling for all of the remaining hostages to be released on Saturday.
How many captives have been freed?
Five swaps have taken place so far, with 21 hostages – 16 Israelis and five Thais – and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners released as part of an initial 42-day truce.
The most recent was last weekend, when three Israeli men were freed. However, there were concerns over how gaunt they looked after 16 months in captivity.
The five Thai citizens were also reunited with their families following their release last month.
Hamas has said it remains committed to the ceasefire deal if Israel sticks to its terms and dismissed Mr Trump’s “language of threats”.
On Monday, the militant group claimed Israel had violated the ceasefire by “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, and targeting them with shelling and gunfire”.
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‘Palestinians don’t want to be on Gaza Strip’
President Trump, who hosted Jordan’s king on Tuesday, has again reiterated his controversial idea to move Palestinians out of Gaza and rebuild the territory.
He’s said the two million-plus population would not be able to return but would have a better, safer future elsewhere.
The proposal has been widely dismissed by the West and Arab neighbours who favour a two-state solution – something unacceptable to the Israeli government.
What has Trump said?
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Trump said: “It’s a war-torn area, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to take it… Gaza the way it is, civilisation has been wiped out in Gaza. It’s going to be a great economic development.”
Mr Trump has previously threatened to cut aid to Jordan, Egypt and others if they refuse to take in Palestinians.
However, he appeared to soften his stance as he took questions at the White House alongside King Abdullah II.
“Well I don’t want to say that… we don’t have to threaten that, I do believe we’re above that,” said Mr Trump.
And what has Jordan’s king said?
King Abdullah II said “a plan from Egypt and the Arab countries” is being discussed among them.
“I think the point is how do we make this work in a way that is good for everybody?” he said. “And we have to look at the best interests of the US, of the people in the region, and especially to my people of Jordan.”
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Much of Gaza lies in ruins after Israel’s effort to destroy Hamas.
The war began after the October 2023 terror attack that killed around 1,200 people in Israel and saw about 250 kidnapped.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since then – many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants.