Big move by Israel as fragile Gaza ceasefire on verge of…, Netanyahu calls up…

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the truce was meant to bring about a swift release of hostages held in harsh conditions in Gaza.

Concern that the truce will collapse is growing as Israel has called up military reservists to brace for a possible re-eruption of war in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to free further Israeli hostages and a nearly month-old ceasefire unravels.

According to reports, fury mounts in the Arab world over President Donald Trump’s plan for the United States to take over Gaza, resettle its Palestinian inhabitants and build an international beach resort.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the truce was meant to bring about a swift release of hostages held in harsh conditions in Gaza. “If Hamas stops the hostage releases then there is no ceasefire and there is war,” he said in remarks at Israeli defence headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Katz added that “the new Gaza war” will be of another intensity altogether and “allow the realisation of Trump’s vision for Gaza”.

Hamas said Egypt and Qatar, which with U.S. support mediated the ceasefire deal that took effect on January 19, had stepped up efforts to break the impasse and the Palestinian militant group’s Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo for talks.

Hamas agreed under the deal to free three more hostages on Saturday but said this week that it was suspending the handover over what it said were Israeli violations of the terms.

‘Let hell break out’

US president Trump responded by saying all hostages must be freed by noon on Saturday or he would “let hell break out”.

“Hamas … will not accept the language of American and Israeli threats,” Hamas spokesperson Hazaem Qassem said in a statement. “Contacts are underway with mediator countries to conclude the implementation of the ceasefire deal.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday Israel would resume “intense fighting” if Hamas did not meet the deadline, but did not say how many hostages should be freed.

Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to gather forces in and around Gaza, and the military announced it was deploying additional forces to Israel’s south, near Gaza, including mobilising reservists.

Trump, in a White House meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday, asked him to ensure Hamas understood the “severity of the situation” if hostages were not freed by Saturday, the White House said on Wednesday.