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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly hold a meeting at 12:00 p.m. eastern on Saturday, President Donald Trump’s deadline for Hamas, to discuss the rest of the ceasefire agreement, his spokesperson confirmed to Fox News.
In a statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that Israel is “preparing with full intensity for what comes next, in every sense,” TPS-IL reported.
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas released three more hostages, including American citizen Sagui Dekel-Chen. Their release was almost delayed “indefinitely” by the terror group due to alleged ceasefire violations by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
On Thursday, Hamas announced it would release hostages on Saturday as planned. The group eventually named the hostages set to be released. Iair Horn and Sasha Troufanov were released alongside Dekel-Chen. All three men were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
While Trump was the one who originally suggested the deadline, he said on Saturday in a post on Truth Social that the United States would “back” any decision that Israel made regarding further actions.
“Hamas has just released three Hostages from GAZA, including an American Citizen. They seem to be in good shape! This differs from their statement last week that they would not release any Hostages,” Trump wrote. “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!”
President Donald Trump (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right). (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)
Last week, Trump expressed outrage over the condition of the hostages released by Hamas, all of whom looked frail and gaunt. Trump said that the three men “looked like Holocaust survivors” and “like they haven’t had a meal in a month.”
Israel and Hamas are engaged in a ceasefire deal that went into effect on Jan. 19. Throughout the six-week deal, Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
