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President Donald Trump has said that he would want the already fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to be "canceled" if the militant organization does not free all the hostages by his given deadline.
Knewz.com has learned that the ceasefire in Gaza has "facilitated hostage exchanges and humanitarian aid deliveries," according to reports.
However, reports have pointed out that Trump's latest comments threaten to upend the current truce in the region and ignite violence in the volatile Gaza Strip.
The first phase of the ceasefire saw Hamas releasing 21 hostages and Israel freeing over 730 Palestinian detainees so far over five exchanges since January 19.
"However, the second phase of the ceasefire—requiring Hamas to release all remaining hostages in exchange for a prolonged truce—remains unresolved," reports have pointed out.
Amidst this uncertainty came Trump's ultimatum where he said: "As far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday 12 o'clock – I think it's an appropriate time – I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out."
Trump made the ultimatum days after Hamas threatened to delay the scheduled release of three Israeli hostages, citing allegations that Israel has breached the ceasefire by blocking humanitarian aid from reaching civilians.
Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement, "Trump must remember there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties."
"The language of threats has no value; it only complicates matters," he said, adding that the militant organization would only free the hostages if Israel completely abides by the ceasefire agreement and that Hamas's stance would not change based on threats from the United States.
It is worth noting that Trump has stated that the final decision regarding the ceasefire ultimately rests with Israel.
"His comments have fueled concerns about an imminent return to military operations... If no deal is reached, military operations could resume as early as March," reports have mentioned, citing statements from Israeli officials.
Trump's statement came a week after he suggested that the U.S. "take over" the Gaza Strip in a “long-term ownership position” and develop the region, while the current residents are relocated elsewhere.
Trump made the suggestion while welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who seemed to be open to the American President's proposal.
While welcoming the Israeli Prime Minister, the new American President said:
"I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them... They’ve lived like hell. They lived like you’re living in hell. Gaza is not a place for people to be living, and the only reason they want to go back, and I believe this strongly, is because they have no alternative."
"I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East," Trump added.
When asked whether U.S. troops would be deployed to "take over" the Gaza Strip, Trump replied, "We’ll do what’s necessary. … We’ll take it over and develop it."
He also described the current situation in Gaza as "hell" and said that a U.S. rebuilding effort in the enclave would create “economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
"You take certain areas and you build really good-quality housing, like a beautiful town, like some place where they can live and not die, because Gaza is a guarantee that they’re going to end up dying. The same thing is going to happen again," Trump said in a separate statement to reporters.
Regarding the development of Gaza, Trump added that it could remain a single piece of land, or be divided into "numerous pieces of land."