Hamas pauses Gaza hostage release, upending ceasefire
Hamas postponed the next scheduled hostage release 'until further notice,' accusing Israel of breaking the terms of their ceasefire deal
What happened
Hamas said Monday it was postponing its next release of Israeli hostages "until further notice," accusing Israel of violating the fragile ceasefire in their Gaza war. Israel said Hamas' move violated the ceasefire and instructed Israeli troops to prepare for "any possible scenario in Gaza."
Who said what
Hamas said it made its announcement five days before Saturday's planned swap of three hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to "keep the door open" if Israel stopped shelling Gazans while blocking them from returning home and allowed in the agreed-upon humanitarian aid. An Israeli official told Axios that Hamas could also be responding to President Donald Trump's widely rejected proposal to take ownership of Gaza and permanently relocate its Palestinian residents.
Hamas has freed 16 of 33 Israeli hostages scheduled for release under the first phase of the ceasefire, along with five Thai hostages. Trump said Monday evening that while the decision was up to Israel, if all the hostages weren't returned by noon on Saturday, "I would say cancel" the ceasefire and "all hell is going to break out." Asked for clarification, he said, "Hamas will find out what I mean," and he did not rule out U.S. involvement in any retaliation.
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An Israeli Channel 13 poll released Monday found that 67% of Israelis wanted to proceed to the next phase of the ceasefire deal while 19% did not.
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