ISRAEL is on “high alert” to relaunch the war in Gaza over the hostage delay after President Donald Trump threatened to unleash “hell” ahead of crunch talks.
The major confrontation comes just halfway through the agreed six-week deal which should see 33 hostages ruthlessly snatched on October 7, finally returned home to their loved ones.
The terror group have accused Israel of “violations” including blocking Palestinians from returning to their homes, targeting them with “shelling and gunfire,” as well as not allowing the agreed amount of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
Israel slammed Hamas over the claims, accusing the group of violating the ceasefire deal and chillingly warned that the IDF have been put on the “highest level of alert”.
Israel Katz, the defence minister, said: “Hamas’s announcement to stop releasing Israeli hostages is a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the deal to release the hostages.
“I have instructed the [Israel Defence Forces] to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza and to protect the communities. “
He concluded that Israel would “not allow a return to the reality of October 7”.
On Monday, President Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas as he warned “all hell is going to break out” if they refuse to release the final hostages.
The Republican said the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel should be cancelled if the remaining hostages are not all freed by midday on Saturday.
It comes after his comments last week when he said the US should take over the decimated Gaza Strip and create his vision of a “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Trump’s idea included relocating two million Palestinians to neighbouring countries like Jordan and Egypt while the US reconstructed the area he called a “demolition site”.
And the president is not backing down on his plans as he is to host Abdullah II, the king of Jordan, at the White House on Tuesday to turn the screws on the Arab nation to take in Palestinian refugees.
Trump also suggested on Monday that he would withhold US funding from Jordan and Egypt to force them to accept additional displaced people from Gaza.
He said to reporters: “If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.”
Trump’s has sparked fury among Arab countries with Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia immediately rejecting the plan.
The relocation of Palestinians is a highly sensitive subject among the Arab world.
Palestinians fear a repetition of the 1948 events that saw some 700,000 fleeing their homes during the Arab-Israeli war.
Describing what he would do to the decimated Gaza Strip, the president said he would turn Gaza into the “most spectacular development on Earth” but Palestinians have argued they will reconstruct the area themselves.
The President also said Palestinians would not be able to return to their homes in Gaza under his new plans.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump’s statement was “irresponsible.”
He told Reuters: “We affirm that such plans are capable of igniting the region.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the Republican’s clear plan to help rebuild the war-torn strip saying it will “change history”.
He also told how America “will do a job with it” if they own the Gaza Strip and take full responsibility to dismantle it safely after years of torment for the people of Palestine.
Trump’s Middle East envoy said they plan on creating a three to five-year timeline for the reconstruction of Gaza.
Detailed plans are yet to be revealed over the potential demolition plot but the newly-inaugurated President said it will involve a complete reconstruction.
He said they would destroy all of the buildings in the war zone before beginning to “create an economic development”.
The US president said he was losing his patience with the hostage deal after seeing footage of Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami, who appeared gaunt upon their release.
He told reporters at The White House: “If all of 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 and let hell break out. I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday.”
Speaking directly on the hostages, Trump added: “I don’t want a trickle. Not three and then two. I want them all.”
So far, Israel and Hamas have completed five exchanges in the first phase of the ceasefire, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 prisoners.
Hamas had agreed to release 33 hostages for nearly 2,000 prisoners and detainees during this phase.
Despite the chilling ultimatum, Trump also said he fears that many of the remaining captives could be dead.
He ended the powerful statement by saying any move is ultimately up to Israel.
What happened on October 7?
ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.
The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.
And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival – killing at least 364 people there alone.
The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 15 months of devastation that followed.
