Israel reiterated Thursday that it would end the current ceasefire and return to war in Gaza if Hamas did not release “hostages” by noon on Saturday — but it appeared to back away from a threat to act if “all” hostages are not released.
After Hamas balked at implementing the agreement earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Israel could return to war if Hamas did not release all of the 73 remaining hostages by noon on Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then said Tuesday that Israeli forces were massing on the Gaza border for a return to war if “all” hostages were not returned by that deadline. Subsequently, Hamas has said that it would free three hostages Saturday, as originally agreed in the ceasefire deal. That left Israel’s position on the ceasefire unclear.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer, addressing a press briefing, demanded that Hamas “hostages” — but did not use the word “all.” After a follow-up question from Breitbart News, he clarified: “Three live hostages must be released by Hamas terrorists on Saturday.”
Mencer added that it would not be enough for Hamas to issue press statements by the deadline: “Israel will believe that these hostages are free when they return to Israeli territory.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
