President Donald Trump said Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas should be cancelled if the terror group does not release “all the Gaza hostages” by noon on Saturday.
“If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Let all hell break out. Israel can override it.”
Trump said that he meant “all the hostages,” a departure from the ceasefire agreement, under which a few hostages were released each week.
“Not in dribs and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two,” he said “Saturday at 12 o’clock, and after that I would say, all hell is going to break out.”
He noted that he was speaking for himself, and that the decision ultimately falls on Israel.
Trump’s comments come after Hamas announced it suspended the release of hostages slated for Saturday until further notice after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.
“The handover of the Zionist prisoners who were scheduled to be released next Saturday, February 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively,” Hamas wrote on its Telegram, per The Jerusalem Post.
Hamas accused Israel of delaying the return of Gazans to northern Israel, shelling them with gunfire, and blocking humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip.
“During the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy’s violations and failure to abide by the terms of the agreement,” Hamas said.
In response, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on the mediating countries to help save and restore the deal.
“Recent evidence from those released, as well as the shocking conditions of the hostages released last Saturday, leaves no room for doubt,” the group said. “Time is of the essence, and all hostages must be urgently rescued from this horrific situation.”
On Saturday, Trump said he is losing patience with Hamas following the return of three Israeli hostages who were in dangerously poor health.
“I watched the hostages return today, and they looked like Holocaust survivors,” Trump said. “They were in horrible condition, emaciated. It looked like many years ago, the Holocaust survivors. I don’t know how much longer we can take that.”
“At some point, we are going to lose our patience,” Trump added. “When I see that scene that I saw today of people coming out of helicopters and airplanes that are emaciated, that look like they haven’t had a meal in a month, there’s no reason for that, and I don’t know how much longer we can take it.”
