WASHINGTON ( WNAM MONITORING): US President Donald Trump proposed the cancelation of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas if all the hostages in the Strip are not released by Saturday.
“As far as I’m concerned, 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,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.
“And if they’re not returned — all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two – by Saturday at 12 o’clock. And after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out,” he added.
Trump later said: “Saturday at 12 o’clock, and after that, it’s going to be a different ball game.”
Asked whether he could rule out any US involvement after the Saturday deadline, he said: “We’ll see what happens.”
He also said he will consider cancelling aid to Jordan and Egypt if they do not accept Palestinians being relocated from Gaza.
“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not? If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes,” he said.
Asked how he will convince Jordan’s king to take in more Palestinians, Trump said: “I do think he’ll take, and I think other countries will take also. They have good hearts.”
On Monday, Hamas declared it had fully met its commitments under the ceasefire deal but accused Israel of violating four key provisions. Earlier in the day, Hamas’s armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, announced it postponed the next hostage release until Israel complies with all terms of the agreement.
The three-phase ceasefire deal has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 48,000 people and left the enclave in ruins.
In the first phase of truce, which runs until early March, 33 Israeli hostages are to be released in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners. The sixth Israeli-Hamas swap was scheduled this week.
