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Hamas dismissed President Donald Trump's latest threat on Thursday, reaffirming that it will only release the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, reports AP. The group accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to back out of the ceasefire agreement made in January. This agreement involves negotiations for a second phase, which includes releasing the hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Trump issues 'last warning' to Hamas to release all remaining hostages Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua stated that the "best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages" is through negotiations on this second phase, which were supposed to begin in February. However, only limited preparatory talks have occurred so far. On Wednesday, Trump issued what he called a "last warning" to Hamas following a meeting with eight former hostages. The White House confirmed that it had held direct talks with Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist group by Israel and Western nations. Trump posted on Truth Social: “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!” Both Israel and Hamas have a history of holding the remains of their enemies for potential exchange in hostage-prisoner deals. Hamas is believed to still hold 24 living hostages from the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander. It is also holding the bodies of 34 others killed in the initial attack or in captivity, along with the remains of a soldier killed in the 2014 war. In the first 42-day phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. That phase ended on Saturday. Israel has backed a new U.S. plan for the second phase, which would see Hamas release half of the remaining hostages immediately, with the rest released when a permanent ceasefire is negotiated. Hamas has rejected the proposal, insisting on sticking with the January agreement. Israel has cut off the supply of food, fuel, medicine, and other essentials to Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians to pressure Hamas into accepting the new terms, threatening “additional consequences” if Hamas does not resume releasing hostages. It remains unclear if the U.S.-Hamas talks made any progress. The Trump administration has expressed full support for Israel’s primary war objectives: the return of all hostages and the elimination of Hamas, which could be incompatible. The October 7 attack by Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and took 251 hostages, most of whom have been released through ceasefire agreements or other arrangements. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens more. With the Gaza ceasefire in limbo, Israel tries to impose an alternative plan on Hamas Israel’s military offensive has claimed the lives of over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. However. Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 fighters, though without evidence. The ongoing offensive has devastated Gaza, displacing most of its population. Hundreds of thousands of people now live in tents, schools-turned-shelters, or war-damaged buildings, and rely on international aid.

Hamas has stated that no progress has been made in the indirect talks with Israel regarding the second phase of the ceasefire. It is uncertain whether the talks will resume on Saturday, as reported by a senior Hamas official. The first phase of the ceasefire halted 15 months of conflict in Gaza, leading to the release of 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel's ceasefires with Hezbollah, Hamas uncertain again This first phase will end on Saturday, but fighting is not expected to resume while negotiations for the second phase continue. The second phase aims to bring an end to the war in Gaza and secure the return of all remaining living hostages. The discussions are taking place in Cairo with participation from Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. While Hamas has not attended the talks directly, their position has been represented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told the Associated Press that no progress had been made before Israeli negotiators left on Friday. It is uncertain if the mediators will return on Saturday as planned, and Naim said he did not know when negotiations might continue. Hamas initiated the war on October 7, 2023, with an attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel. Since then, Israel’s military actions have resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, with Gaza health officials noting that more than half of those killed were women and children. Israel threatens 'all hell will break loose' on Hamas in latest Gaza ceasefire crisis The ceasefire deal, which was agreed upon in January, includes three phases intended to end the war. On Friday, Hamas reiterated its commitment to the terms of the agreement and urged the international community to push Israel to begin the second phase without delay. Alongside the second phase of the ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office revealed that mediators are also discussing measures to improve the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in order to ease the suffering of the population and contribute to regional stability. Hamas has rejected an Israeli proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire by 42 days, claiming it violates the truce agreement. The proposal would extend the ceasefire through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in exchange for another hostage exchange. The World Food Program reported that during the first phase, it reached 1 million Palestinians in Gaza, restoring distribution points, reopening bakeries, and increasing cash assistance. The agency stressed that the ceasefire must hold, with no turning back.

Hamas has released three male hostages who had been held in the Gaza Strip for over a year, while Israel has freed 183 Palestinian prisoners in the fourth exchange under a ceasefire agreement that has paused 15 months of intense conflict, reports AP. The hostages, Yarden Bibas and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, were handed over to Red Cross officials in Khan Younis, while American-Israeli Keith Siegel, appearing frail, was later released in Gaza City. All three were abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered the war. Their release brings the total number of hostages freed since the ceasefire began on 19 January to 18. Israeli fire kills 2 Palestinians in occupied West Bank The handovers proceeded in an orderly manner, unlike Thursday’s chaotic hostage release, where militants struggled to control a crowd. This time, armed and masked militants stood in formation as the hostages walked onto a stage, waved, and were then led off to be transferred to the Red Cross. In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, thousands gathered to watch the releases live on a large screen, waving signs and cheering. Meanwhile, in Israel, a bus carrying 32 Palestinian prisoners departed Ofer Military Prison for the West Bank, where crowds greeted them with celebrations, lifting the freed prisoners onto their shoulders in jubilation. The Israeli Prison Authority confirmed that all 183 Palestinian prisoners scheduled for release had been freed—most sent to Gaza, while some returned to the West Bank, and seven serving life sentences were transferred to Egypt ahead of deportation. Ceasefire Provides Temporary Relief to War-Torn Gaza The ceasefire, aimed at ending the deadliest and most destructive war between Israel and Hamas, has held for two weeks. It has facilitated increased aid deliveries to Gaza and enabled hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the ruins of their homes in the north. Under the ceasefire’s initial six-week phase, 33 Israeli hostages are to be exchanged for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has been informed by Hamas that eight of those hostages were either killed in the 7 October attack or died in captivity. Separately, 50 sick and wounded Palestinian children were allowed to leave Gaza for treatment in Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, marking the first time the enclave’s only exit has opened since Israel captured it nine months ago. A European Union civilian mission was deployed on Friday in preparation for reopening the crossing. Two killed in Lebanon as protests continue against Israel The reopening of Rafah marks another key milestone in the ceasefire’s first phase. Next week, Israel and Hamas will begin negotiations on a second phase, which aims to secure the release of the remaining hostages and extend the truce indefinitely. However, if no agreement is reached, the war could resume in early March. Despite the ceasefire, Israel remains committed to dismantling Hamas, particularly after the militant group quickly reasserted control over Gaza once the truce began. A key far-right member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has called for the war’s resumption once the first phase of the ceasefire concludes. Meanwhile, Hamas insists that it will not release the remaining hostages unless Israel ends the war and withdraws entirely from Gaza. Families Rejoice as Hostages Return Keith Siegel, 65, originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza alongside his wife, Aviva, who was released in a previous ceasefire. She has since led a high-profile campaign for her husband's release. His friends and neighbours gathered to watch the live broadcast of his release, some cheering while others were moved to tears. The release of 35-year-old Yarden Bibas has renewed concerns over the fate of his wife, Shiri, and their two sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were just four years old and nine months old when abducted. The family was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Kfir, the youngest of approximately 250 hostages taken on 7 October, became a symbol of the helplessness and anger surrounding the hostage crisis in Israel. Hamas has claimed that Shiri and her sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but Israel has not confirmed this. Gal Hirsch, Netanyahu’s special coordinator for hostage affairs, expressed “grave concern for their lives” and urged negotiators to provide information about their condition. Ofer Kalderon, 54, was also abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His family in Kfar Saba, north of Tel Aviv, rejoiced upon seeing footage of him walking onto the stage in Khan Younis before being transferred to the Red Cross. His children, Erez and Sahar, were taken hostage alongside him but were released in November 2023. Family members said they had struggled to move forward until their father’s return. “We are sorry it took so long, Ofer,” said Eyal Kalderon. “Soon, we will be whole again. We hope every family experiences this, until the last one.” French President Emmanuel Macron expressed France’s “relief and joy” at Kalderon’s release after 483 days of captivity, describing his ordeal as “unimaginable hell.” He reaffirmed France’s commitment to securing the release of another French-Israeli hostage still held in Gaza. During the weeklong ceasefire in November 2023, more than 100 hostages taken on 7 October were freed, but approximately 80 remain in Gaza, with at least a third believed to have died. The war, sparked by Hamas’ 7 October attack, resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians. In response, Israel launched an air and ground offensive that has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of whom were women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Israeli military claims to have killed over 17,000 Hamas fighters, though it has not provided evidence. Israel holds Hamas responsible for civilian casualties, arguing that the group operates within residential areas.