"Complicates things"

Hamas is unimpressed by Trump’s threats

Hamas with a released Israeli hostage(Bild: AP)

If hostages are not released next Saturday as planned, all hell will break loose, said US President Donald Trump. The terrorist organization Hamas is not impressed by this. The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters, said a senior official on Tuesday.

"Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both sides and that this is the only way to free the (Israeli) prisoners," said Sami Abu Zuhri. Hamas believes that Israel's government has breached the agreements by delaying the return of displaced Palestinians, threatening people in the Gaza Strip and obstructing aid deliveries.

The agreement has been in force for around three weeks. So far, 16 of the 33 Israeli hostages who were to be released in the first phase of the agreement have been handed over to Israel. Five Thai workers have also been released. In return, Israeli authorities have released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both sides and that this is the only way to free the (Israeli) prisoners.

Hamas-Funktionär Sami Abu Zuhri

Trump meets Jordanian king
The military will return to intense fighting if the Israeli hostages are not freed by Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video on Tuesday.

The efforts to achieve a ceasefire are also being hampered by proposals from the US President. On Monday, he reiterated his suggestion that the residents of the Gaza Strip could be resettled. Trump will meet Jordan's King Abdullah for talks on Tuesday. According to the Republican, Jordan and Egypt should take in the approximately two million Palestinians, but the governments have already rejected this.