Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to hold a meeting at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, which is the deadline set by President Donald Trump for Hamas. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the remaining aspects of the ceasefire agreement, as confirmed by his spokesperson to Fox News.
In his statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu cautioned that Israel is “preparing with full intensity for what lies ahead, in every regard,” according to TPS-IL.
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas released three additional hostages, including American citizen Sagui Dekel-Chen. Their release was nearly postponed “indefinitely” by the terror group due to claimed violations of the ceasefire agreement by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
TRUMP DEMANDS HAMAS RELEASE REST OF ISRAELI HOSTAGES
On Monday, Trump stated that if Hamas did not return all remaining hostages by noon, Israel should terminate the ceasefire and “let all hell break loose.”
Trump said in the Oval Office, “If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would suggest canceling the ceasefire. Let all hell break loose; Israel has the ability to override it.”
When Trump made this remark, it was uncertain whether he meant 12 p.m. Eastern or Israeli time. The scheduling of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting indicates that Israel interpreted Trump’s deadline as 12 p.m. Eastern, which translates to 7 p.m. local time.
Israeli hostages Iair Horn, 46, Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, and Alexander Troufanov, 29, are escorted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters as they are handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Feb. 15. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
HAMAS FREES 3 MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 300 PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH ISRAEL
On Thursday, Hamas confirmed that hostages would be released on Saturday as scheduled. The group ultimately identified the hostages to be released: Iair Horn and Sasha Troufanov along with Dekel-Chen. All three individuals were captured from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the attacks by Hamas on October 7.
While Trump was initially the one to propose the deadline, he mentioned on Saturday via a post on Truth Social that the U.S. would “support” any decision made by Israel regarding future actions.
“Hamas has just released three hostages from Gaza, including an American citizen. They appear to be in good condition! This is a shift from their last week’s declaration that no hostages would be freed,” Trump commented. “Israel now faces the decision on how to respond to the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE set for the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back their decision!”
President Donald Trump (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right). (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)
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Last week, Trump voiced his anger regarding the condition of the hostages released by Hamas, all of whom appeared frail and weakened. He noted that the three men “looked like Holocaust survivors” and “like they haven’t eaten in a month.”
Israel and Hamas are currently part of a ceasefire agreement that commenced on January 19. During the six-week agreement, Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
