Palestinians in Gaza have said they “are already living in hell” after Donald Trump vowed to cancel a truce if Hamas does not release all hostages this weekend, as the fragile truce teetered on the verge of collapse.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees have returned to northern parts of the besieged strip in recent weeks, camping in the rubble of their homes and still reeling from the loss of dozens of extended family members.
With the precarious deal on a knife-edge, Mr Trump said “all hell will break out” if the hostage release at the weekend did not go as planned.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed Mr Trump’s threat, saying Israel will resume “intense” fighting in Gaza if all hostages were not freed at the weekend.
“There is nothing left in Gaza but sand. Does he want to come and take the sand? The whole of Gaza is already hell; there is nothing else,” said Ali Salama, 72, from Beit Lahia, the most destroyed part of Gaza.
On Monday, Hamas said it would delay Saturday’s expected release of three Israeli hostages, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement, including shelling the territory and not allowing in the agreed amount of humanitarian aid.
Israel hit back with counter-accusations of violations, adding that in response, the army had raised “the level of readiness”, cancelled leave for combat soldiers, and deployed reinforcements to the border areas with Gaza.
Pouring fuel on the fire, Mr Trump threatened to cancel the agreement if the militants did not release all their captives by midday Saturday, warning “all hell is going to break out”.
On Tuesday he hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House as he escalates pressure on the key US ally to take in refugees from Gaza, perhaps permanently.
“We’re going to take it. We’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it,” Mr Trump said, insisting his plan will “bring peace” to the region.
Mr Salama told The Independent that Israel’s ferocious 15-month bombardment of Gaza had killed dozens of his extended family and destroyed at least 10 of their homes, while Israeli forces had detained and disappeared two of his sons, who he said were traders, not militants.
“If Trump wants to strike with missiles, let him strike. He wants to destroy more? I am not afraid. I actually feel like I am already dead. I have no entity left.”
Shireen Rashid, 37, who was forced to flee from Khan Younis, another destroyed city in Gaza, echoed his despair, saying, “there is no way to make more hell in Gaza”. She had lost her home, livelihood, and family members.
“All that is left for them to do is to use a nuclear bomb to kill us and annihilate us all,” she said.
Basil al-Kafarna, 43, from Beit Hanoun, said he was forced to bury with his own hands dozens of his relatives, even after the ceasefire came into effect in January.
“We feel death every day from the intensity of the suffering. The killing machine did not stop, and martyrs fell after the ceasefire agreement. No one can guarantee that Israel will not return to fighting. Our people love life and freedom, if they are given the opportunity to live in peace.”
In Israel, there were desperate pleas for international mediation from the families of hostages, who are increasingly concerned for the welfare of their loved ones who remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza. The last three people, all men, to be released appeared to be underweight.
“The hostages are in clear and present danger. Their lives are at risk,” Hagai Levine, a doctor working with the families of hostages, warned on Monday. “Delaying their release means that some of them will not survive.”
The devastating 15-month war in Gaza has been paused since mid-January under the ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States to an attempt to end the conflict.
More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in the last 16 months, the Gaza Health Ministry says, and nearly all of Gaza’s population has been internally displaced by the conflict, which has pushed the territory into famine.
Some 1,200 people were killed in the 7 October, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities, and about 250 were taken to Gaza as hostages, according to Israel.
So far, 16 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have been released as part of this long-awaited deal with Israel, alongside five Thai nationals freed under a separate agreement.
Israel says 73 of the captives remain in captivity, although it believes just 35 or so are still alive.
The next handover of three hostages had been scheduled for Saturday, but that could be delayed if Hamas follows through with its threat to halt the deal over its accusations against Israel.
Families of the hostages are increasingly concerned about the welfare of their loved ones and have appealed for international help from the mediating countries to keep the ceasefire going.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military announced that Shlomo Mantzur, 86, believed to have been taken from his home in Kibbutz Kissufim on 7 October, had in fact been killed on the same day. His body had been taken to Gaza and held there, the military added.
His family released a statement saying: “We call upon decision-makers to make a brave and ethical decision to bring all hostages home immediately – the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for proper burial in their homeland.”
The forum representing the majority of the families had earlier said that: “Recent evidence from those released, as well as the shocking conditions of the hostages released last Saturday, leaves no room for doubt. Time is of the essence, and all hostages must be urgently rescued from this horrific situation.”
Concerned that the tentative agreement was close to collapsing, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres urged Hamas to proceed with the handovers. He said that the resumption of fighting must be avoided “at all costs” as it would “lead to an immense tragedy”.
“Both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement and resume negotiations in Doha for the second phase,” he added.
Mr Trump, originally heralded as the catalyst for the ceasefire, has ignited region-wide alarm over his recent proposals that Gaza’s 2.2 million Palestinians should be resettled in countries like Egypt and Jordan, while the US takes control and ownership of the demolished seaside enclave, redeveloping it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Egypt and Jordan have resolutely rejected the suggestion, which has been welcomed by far-right members of Mr Netanyahu’s cabinet. Defence minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that he had instructed the Israeli military “to prepare a plan that will allow any resident of Gaza who wishes to leave to do so, to any country willing to receive them”.
In Israel, security expert Amos Harel said that Mr Trump’s threat about “all hell” breaking loose was another “bombshell”, adding that the truce had never been so close to collapse since it was implemented in January.
“It’s extremely dangerous,” he added. “If we are unable to bring the rest of [the hostages home], and there are around 30 hostages still alive, then what is the point of all of this? This is crucial for society right now.”
