The ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip should be canceled if "all hostages" held in the Palestinian territory are not released by Saturday noon, US President Donald Trump said, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House, he warned that if his demand is not met, he will let "all hell break loose".
Trump called "Hamas" decision "terrible" to indefinitely postpone the next hostage release, arguing that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement, Agence France-Presse reported.
After the release of three visibly emaciated hostages on Saturday, it is time for Israel to demand that all prisoners be released by noon Saturday or resume the war, he said, quoted by the Associated Press.
However, Trump made the reservation that the decision should be made by Israel. "I speak for myself. Israel may (not take my opinion)", he said.
The US president also warned that he could cut off aid to Jordan and Egypt if they do not accept the Palestinians, who he believes should be evicted from the Gaza Strip.
Yesterday, the military wing of "Hamas" announced that it was indefinitely postponing the next release of hostages, blaming Israel for the development, which it said had violated the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
"The door remains open for the next prisoner exchange to take place as planned, after (Israel) fulfills its commitments," the Palestinian Islamist movement said in a statement. The text states that the military wing of "Hamas" deliberately announced the postponement of the next exchange with five days' notice "to give the mediators enough time to put pressure on Israel".
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz accused "Hamas" in violation of the agreement, and the Israeli army was put on high alert.
Last week, Trump sparked a backlash after announcing his intention to take control of the Gaza Strip, with its population being relocated to various Arab countries. His plan was condemned by a number of countries, including Jordan and Egypt, although it was welcomed by the Israeli government.
The Israel Defense Forces, which are subordinate to the Southern Command, will be reinforced. The leave of soldiers participating in combat missions and military personnel from operational units in the command are being postponed, the statement said.
However, the decision to postpone has raised concerns about the failure of the ceasefire and a renewed flare-up of the conflict, Reuters notes.
The Palestinian Authority announced that it was suspending social benefits for "families of prisoners and martyrs", Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
In this way, it fulfilled a long-standing request by the United States.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree to restructure the social assistance system, providing for the suspension of compensation payments to the families of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, as well as to Palestinians killed by the Israeli army, the official WAF news agency reported.
The measure is likely to affect thousands people.
It was criticized by the radical Palestinian groups "Hamas" and "Islamic Jihad", which have carried out numerous attacks against Israel.
Despite criticism from Western countries such as the United States and the Netherlands, the Palestinian Authority justified the system with the argument that it was a way to help families who had lost potential income from wages and whose property was subject to confiscation or destruction, AFP notes.
In fact, during his first term as US president (2017-2021), Trump signed a law providing for the suspension of financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it stopped paying compensation to Palestinians involved in terrorist activity according to Israeli criteria.
Israel has long condemned this system as "incitement to terrorism" and regularly cites it as an argument to freeze funds intended for the Palestinian Authority, according to Agence France-Presse.