Trump warned on Monday that he would cancel the ceasefire deal and “let hell break out” if Hamas does not release the captives by midday Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is reportedly visiting Israel and Qatar this week amid growing concerns over the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.
Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, reported on Witkoff’s upcoming visit on Tuesday, which would come ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s regional tour next week.
A senior State Department official had told Reuters on Thursday that the tour will take place between February 13-18 and will include stopovers in Qatar, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
However, Qatar has not publicly commented on both visits.
Witkoff and Rubio’s trips would come amid ongoing efforts to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire deal in its three phases between Hamas and Israel—mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States and announced on January 15.
On Monday, Al-Qassam Brigades’ spokesman, Abu Obeida, announced in a Telegram statement the group’s decision to postpone the next captives’ release– which was slated for Saturday– until further notice due to Israel’s violations of the deal.
Since the deal came into effect on January 19, Hamas has released 16 Israeli captives in addition to five Thai workers, whereas Israel released 766 Palestinian prisoners from its jails over five separate batches.
Abu Obeida said that the violations included Israel’s delay in allowing internally displaced Palestinians to return from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip while refusing to allow in “all forms of aid”.
Other violations include the continuous targeting of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip despite the deal.
“Accordingly, the release of the Zionist prisoners[…]will be postponed until further notice, until the occupation complies and compensates for the rights owed from the past weeks retroactively,” the statement added.
Israel has killed at least 92 Palestinians and wounded 822 others since the ceasefire came into effect, Palestine’s news agency, Wafa, reported on Wednesday, citing local authorities. Occupation forces carried out the most recent attack in eastern Rafah city, the south of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 61,709 people in the Gaza Strip, with thousands others still missing under the rubbles.
Meanwhile, Trump warned on Monday that he would cancel the ceasefire deal and “let hell break out” if Hamas does not release the captives by midday Saturday.
“I would say, cancel it [the deal] and all bets are off and let hell break out,” Trump told the press at the White House.
When asked to elaborate on his statement, Trump said Hamas “will find out” if the captives are not released by the deadline he gave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Trump on Tuesday, saying “the ceasefire will end and the Israeli military will resume fighting at full force”.
The mediators have also been working to resume the indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel over Phase Two of the deal, but the efforts have appeared to stall again.
