Netanyahu warns Hamas: hostages have to be freed by Saturday!

Netanyahu warns Hamas: hostages have to be freed by Saturday!

Gazastreifen, Palästinensische Gebiete - Today, the weapon resting talks between Israel and Hamas are facing a critical turn. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened with a break in the ceasefire if all Israeli hostages are not released by 12 p.m. local time. He announced that the Israeli armed forces will return to intensive fights until the Hamas is defeated. These threats come after the establishment that 86-year-old Schlomo Manzur, the oldest hostage, was murdered. Manzur leaves a woman, five children and twelve grandchildren, which underlines the drama of the situation.

The Israeli army reported that 76 hostages are currently being recorded in the Gaza Strip, 35 of which have already been declared dead. The concerns about hostages and their state of health are enormous, especially after the release of three hostages that returned in a questionable state of health. Relatives of the hostages criticize the Israeli government for insufficient negotiations to strengthen the ceasefire.

ceasefire and hostage agreements

An agreement on a longer break was previously achieved, which came into force on January 19, 2025 and was to apply for six weeks. As part of this agreement, 33 Hamas hostages should be released against Palestinian prisoners. However, details of this agreement remain unclear, and the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip are also not secured. It is necessary to consent to the Israeli security cabinet and the government, which is due to meet in a meeting on Thursday at 11 a.m. Previously, intensive negotiations in which Qatar, the United States and Egypt were involved had started in January 2025.

President Donald Trump also requested the release of hostages until Saturday and threatened with serious consequences if this should not be done. However, Hamas announced that the release planned for Saturday was to be postponed for an indefinite period, which the already tense negotiations continued.

Humanitarian crisis and international reactions

The escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip has led to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. In an investigation, Amnesty International found that Israel may commit a genocide at the Palestinian in the Gaza Strip. The investigation shows that Israel's military actions and attacks against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip fall under the Convention on the Board. This situation has been particularly critical since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked civilians in Israel and more than 1,400 people, most of them, were killed.

The battles between Israel and the Hisbollah in September 2024 also tightened the humanitarian need in Lebanon, in which hundreds of thousands were sold. The international community alerted this development and focused on the level of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. In this tense situation, Egypt and Qatar try to save the ceasefire and move both sides to comply with the agreements.