A group of Israeli activists urged the Israeli government to continue the Gaza truce in the face of a possible fifth exchange of hostages and prisoners, following explosive remarks by Donald Trump that raised doubts about the future of this deal.
The exchange scheduled for Saturday follows Trump’s declaration that the United States will “take over Gaza” by moving Palestinians from the territory. This sparked outrage across the Middle East.
Israel has ordered its military to get ready for the “voluntary relocation” of Gazans. Hamas rejected Trump’s plan as “absolutely unacceptable.”
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum released a statement Friday saying, “An entire nation demanded to see the hostages returned home…Now is the time to make sure the agreement is complete — to the last one.”
Israel and Hamas completed four swaps between Jan. 19 and Feb. 1 as part of the Gaza ceasefire accord’s first phase.
Hamas-led Palestinian militants have freed 18 hostages so far in exchange for the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
The fragile ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, aims to secure the release of 33 hostages during the first 42-day phase of the agreement.
As of yet, neither Hamas nor Israel has revealed how many hostages they will exchange for prisoners.
In the wake of Trump’s comments, Yaela, whose brother Evyatar remains in Gaza, called on “the negotiating teams to act immediately to finalize the details of the agreement and guarantee the return of all the hostages.”
She said, “This must be done under this agreement, and if it is not, a black stain will remain on the history of my state.”
Trump is sticking to his original statement despite the regional and international backlash and the initial backtracking of members of his Administration.
Israel would turn over the Gaza Strip to the United States at the end of the fighting, he stated on Thursday on his Truth Social platform.
“No soldiers by the US would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!”
Israel Katz, Israel’s Defence Minister, announced that after Trump floated the idea he had instructed the military to develop a plan allowing the “voluntary withdrawal” of Gazans “to any country who will accept them.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, also expressed support for Trump’s proposal, which was announced during a press conference held by both leaders. He called it “the only original idea that has been raised in many years.”
Hamas condemned the remarks, calling them “absolutely unacceptable.”
Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority (PA), said that Trump’s comments about Washington taking over Gaza amounted to an “open declaration of intention to occupy” the territory.
“Gaza belongs to its people, and they won’t leave.”
The second phase of the ceasefire negotiations was set to start on Monday. However, there are no details about the current status of the discussions.
The second phase aims to free more hostages and pave the path for the permanent end of the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with Hamas’ unprecedented attack against Israel.
During the assault, militants took 251 enslaved in Gaza, and 76 people remain in captivity. The Israeli military claims that 34 of them are dead.
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