Israel's Prime Minister warned that he would end the cessation of the fire in Gaza and resume the intense fight “if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday at noon.”
Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the Israeli military to accumulate troops inside and around Gaza in response to Hamas's message that he delayed to release more hostages to a further notification.
It was unclear whether Netanyahu wanted to release all the other hostages or only the three who had to be released this Saturday.
On Monday, Hamas said this would delay their release, as Israel violated a three-week deal to end the fire, including by blocking a vital humanitarian aid, Israel was refused.