Cancel ceasefire if Hamas does not release all hostages by Saturday, says Trump
He earlier said that Palestinians in Gaza would not have a right to return under his plan for US ‘ownership’ of the war-torn territory.
A precarious ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas should be cancelled if Hamas does not release all the remaining hostages it is holding in Gaza by midday on Saturday, US President Donald Trump has said.
He also acknowledged that such a decision would be up to Israel.
In comments to reporters after signing a series of executive orders, Mr Trump said “If they’re not here, all hell is going to break out”, and said he feared many scheduled for release are actually already dead.
Mr Trump also said, however: “I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”
His comments came after he said in an interview with Fox News Channel that Palestinians in Gaza would not have a right to return under his plan for US “ownership” of the war-torn territory.
Less than a week after he floated his plan for the US to take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East”, Mr Trump, in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier on Monday, said “No, they wouldn’t” when asked if Palestinians in Gaza would have a right to return to the territory.
He has ramped up pressure on Arab states, especially US allies Jordan and Egypt, to take in Palestinians from Gaza, who claim the territory as part of a future homeland.
“We’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,” Mr Trump said.
“In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent.”
Arab nations have sharply criticised the Trump proposal, and Mr Trump will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday.
In addition to concerns about jeopardising the long-held goals of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Egypt and Jordan have privately raised security concerns about welcoming large numbers of additional refugees into their countries even temporarily.
Mr Trump’s comments risked jeopardising the already tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza after 15 months of war, with the existing framework for negotiations calling for the massive humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for civilians in Gaza.
Mr Trump last week did not rule out deploying US troops to help secure the territory but at the same time said no US funds would go to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, raising fundamental questions about the nature of his plan.
Egypt on Monday reiterated its rejection to the transfer of Palestinians from their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, warning that such proposals threaten “the foundations of people” in the Middle East.
In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem its capital is the base for “comprehensive and just peace” in the region.
The statement said Egypt rejects any violations to the Palestinians’ “right of self-determination and independence” and “upholds the right of return for Palestinian refugees who were forced to leave their homeland”, in a reference to hundreds of thousands who were forced to flee their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war.
A senior Hamas official described Mr Trump’s latest remarks about the US ownership of Gaza as “absurd”.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ politico bureau, said the comments “reflect a deep ignorance of Palestine and the region”.
In comments released by Hamas early Monday, he said TMr rump’s approach toward the Palestinian cause will fail.
“Dealing with the Palestinian cause with the mentality of a real estate dealer is a recipe for failure,” he said. “Our Palestinian people will thwart all transfer and deportation plans.”
