Vikrant Shekhawat : Feb 13, 2025, 06:20 PM
Israel-Hamas News: Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, a change in Hamas' stance has been seen after the US and Israel broke the ceasefire agreement and threatened to attack again. Hamas announced on Thursday that it would release the Israeli hostages as planned. Earlier on Monday, Hamas postponed the release of three hostages, accusing Israel of not delivering relief materials and other allegations. Due to this development, the ceasefire in Gaza was in crisis.Hamas official statementHamas issued a statement on Thursday saying, "The mediators from Egypt and Qatar have confirmed that they will work to remove all obstacles and the ceasefire agreement will remain in force." The statement indicated that three more Israeli hostages would be released on Saturday. After this statement of Hamas, it is expected that the ceasefire agreement will continue for the time being.Israel's threat and military preparationIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had clearly stated that if Hamas does not release the hostages, Israel will start attacking Gaza again. Along with this, he also ordered the army to increase the deployment of troops in the Gaza Strip and its surrounding areas. Netanyahu had asked his officials to be ready to deal with any situation. However, Israel has not yet made any official statement after Hamas agreed to release the hostages.Stern warning from AmericaUS President Donald Trump also gave a stern warning to Hamas. He said that if Hamas does not release all the hostages by Saturday, it will have to face serious consequences. Trump said, "If all the hostages are not released by 12 noon on Saturday, there will be devastation."Status of ceasefire agreementA ceasefire agreement was reached after 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas. Under the first phase of this agreement, a total of 33 hostages were to be released, out of which Hamas has released 21 hostages so far. In return, Israel is also releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.However, the current developments make it clear that Hamas's stance has changed after the US and Israel's strictness. Now it remains to be seen whether the ceasefire lasts for a long time or not.