Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to resume hostilities unless Hamas releases hostages under a ceasefire agreement on Saturday. Hamas said Monday it is delaying the hostage release.
Hamas is delaying the release of the next group of Israeli hostages, accusing Israel of preventing aid and Palestinians from returning home in Gaza. Israel said Hamas is violating the ceasefire.
Most Gaza residents are the descendants of Palestinian refugees driven to the enclave in a 1948 war. They harbor a deep fear of being uprooted again, and President Trump's remarks struck a raw nerve.
There are men, women and children on the list of 33 to be released from Gaza. Two are U.S. citizens. Israel is set to free hundreds of prisoners in exchange for them.
The deal was set to be ratified by Israeli Cabinet on Thursday. But Netanyahu says, without specifying, that Hamas has gone back on several parts of the ceasefire agreement at the last minute.
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a multiphase ceasefire that commits them to end the war in Gaza, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch said.
Negotiators in Qatar are close to a ceasefire deal that sees an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees, a six-week pause in fighting and eventual troop withdrawal from Gaza.
The basic framework, officials familiar with the talks say, is an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and a six-week ceasefire. Mediators are applying pressure on all parties.
The president-elect made a similar pledge on social media in early December. His latest comments came during a wide-ranging news conference from Mar-a-Lago.
The deal would secure release of a third of the approximately 100 hostages who remain in Gaza, including two dual U.S.-Israeli nationals. In return, Israel would release some Palestinian prisoners.
