US President Donald Trump has announced a "tough policy" regarding Gaza, the Palestinian enclave that he proposed to pass under US control and in which a fragile ceasefire has been established between Israel and the militants of the Palestinian movement "Hamas", Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
"I don't know what will happen today at 12:00. If it were up to me, I would take a very tough policy, but I can't tell you what Israel intends to do," the American leader told reporters yesterday.
Earlier this week he announced that "Hamas" must release all Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Saturday noon or "all hell will break loose".
Just before the Republican billionaire was to take office for a second term on January 20, a ceasefire went into effect in the Palestinian enclave.
Then "Hamas" released some of the Israeli hostages, who were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners serving sentences in Israel.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the conditions in which the hostages and prisoners are being held, and the reason for the reaction was the footage of them after their release, which caused her concern.
In his speech, Trump reiterated his concern about the tortured and emaciated appearance of the Israeli hostages, but said nothing about the condition of the Palestinians.
Israeli hostages Yair Horn, Sagi Dekel-Hen and Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov are expected to return from Gaza today after Egyptian and Qatari mediators managed to prevent a standoff that risks torpedoing the fragile ceasefire that ended the fighting in the Palestinian enclave about a month ago, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The Palestinian movement "Hamas" said the three would be exchanged for 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, allaying fears that the agreed 42-day ceasefire could fail and end prematurely.
Dekel-Hen, a dual American and Israeli citizen, Trufanov, an Israeli of Russian descent, and Horn, whose father Eitan was also kidnapped, were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the Gaza Strip border settlements stormed by "Hamas" fighters in the attack on October 7, 2023.
The Palestinian movement had earlier threatened not to release any more hostages after accusing Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire by blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza. This prompted counter-threats from Israel to resume hostilities; the Jewish state even called up reservists and put its military on high alert.
US President Donald Trump's call for the Palestinians to be permanently removed from Gaza and the enclave to be handed over to the US to rebuild has sparked widespread discontent among Arab states and Palestinian groups, who have strongly opposed the proposal.
Last month, "Hamas" agreed to hand over 33 Israeli hostages, including men, women and children, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, as part of a six-week truce during which Israeli forces would withdraw from some positions in Gaza.
As of today, 16 of the 33 Israeli hostages have been returned, along with five Thais who were handed over in an unscheduled exchange. That leaves 76 hostages in Gaza, with only about half believed to be still alive.
More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the military operation by US ally Israel in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. This has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies. The offensive turned almost the entire population of the Palestinian enclave into refugees and caused famine.
The latest bloodshed in the Middle East came after the attack by "Hamas" on October 7, 2023 against Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages, according to Israeli data.
Trump's proposal to take control of Gaza and permanently displace the Palestinians living there was condemned by a number of representatives of the international community.
Human rights activists and UN experts have described the idea as ethnic cleansing, Reuters notes.