Hamas Says No to Releasing All Hostages
Israeli soldiers seen inside the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on January 19, 2025(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
I wrote a quick update about the situation in Gaza the other day. In it I mentioned the comments made by President Trump regarding the hostage situation. While those initial comments opened some eyes across the region, what the President said the next day really put the fox in the henhouse.
When the President heard that Hamas was planning on violating the cease-fire and hostage deal by not releasing hostages as scheduled, he had more to say. After commenting again on the condition of the three released hostages, Trump issued an ultimatum; release the hostages by Saturday, or “all hell will break loose”.
When pressed by reporters for details on what that meant, Mr. Trump initially responded: “You’ll find out, and they’ll find out, too. Hamas will find out what I mean.”
He later said Saturday’s delayed hostage release – which was expected to see the release of another three hostages held by Hamas in exchange for dozens more Palestinian prisoners – should include all of the remaining hostages.
“I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday,” Mr. Trump said. “All of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two.”
Hamas, of course, got its panties in a wad over the ultimatum. A senior Hamas leader told the French news agency AFP on Tuesday that Mr. Trump’s warning over the hostages “further complicates matters.”
“Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties and this is the only way to return the prisoners (hostages),” Sami Abu Zuhri said. “The language of threats has no value and further complicates matters”.
Today, there is news that Hamas did not take the President’s warning as seriously as they should. The Jerusalem Post is now reporting that Hamas will not release all of the hostages this Saturday.
Senior Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri spoke to Al Jazeera on Wednesday evening and stated that Hamas is “committed” to implementing the previously agreed schedule of the hostage deal and that they will not release “all” Israeli hostages on Saturday.
Abu Zuhri’s comments likely came as part of a larger statement to Al Jazeera regarding Hamas’s views towards the potential breakdown of the ceasefire agreement.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that if Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by Saturday, all hell will break loose.
Hamas might just be starting to realize that they are not dealing with Biden, Blinken, Sullivan, and the rest of the halfwits from the last administration. They did blink, at least a little and are now releasing at least three hostages this Saturday.
The IDF has already started to position troops and equipment close to the Gaza Strip. If they move, and it seems likely if Hamas violates the deal again, I’d expect the IDF to sever the Strip at that Netzarim corridor again, and push any of the Gaza Arabs back to the south end of the strip. I would also expect them to take control of the crossings into Egypt at Rafah and Kerem Shalom. They may take the Philadelphi corridor, but that would be secondary.
