Palestinians vs. Hamas: “Hostiles and Missing Families” in a Mideast-American War on the Second-Phase of the Gaza Strip

Hamas’ announcement about delaying hostages’ release came as President Trump said in a Fox News interview posted online Monday that Palestinians would not be allowed to return to Gaza under his plan for the U.S. to take over Gaza and relocate the enclave’s residents.

The announcement comes a few weeks after an agreement between the US and the Palestinians saw Israeli hostages traded for Palestinian prisoners. Trump doubled down on that plan.

Israel was accused of violating the terms of the deal by Abu Obeida. He said Israel is “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the Strip, and not allowing relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed upon.”

He added that he had asked the country’s military “to prepare at the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to ensure the protection of Israeli communities.”

The group asked for help from the mediation countries to help restore and implement the existing deal, they said in a statement. The Hostages and missing families forum said they supported the Israeli government and encouraged it to free the remaining hostages.

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, played a key role in persuading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire’s first phase, which began on Jan. 19.

If Israel does not resume the war in Gaza and eradicate Hamas rule, the far-right allies of the leader will bring down the government.

Hamas has long accused Netanyahu of creating obstacles in the deal. Netanyahu and his allies accused Hamas of demanding changes to agreements already made.

The U.S. has been helping mediate the talks, alongside Egypt and Qatar, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Israel and key Arab states — Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — this week, the State Department said.

Israel’s response to the Gaza war and the Palestinians’ desperate need for safety in the epoch of the end of the Gaza Strip

The conflict began when Hamas and other groups broke through the fence of Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.

Israel wants Hamas to release hostages under a truce agreement that will take effect this weekend.

Netanyahu added that he welcomed President Trump’s remarks Monday demanding the release of hostages by Saturday, “as well as his revolutionary vision for Gaza’s future.”

Hamas alleged that Israel has not allowed temporary shelters, tents, debris removal equipment and fuel that it says are required by the ceasefire agreement into the enclave. Israel controls all aid that enters the Gaza Strip.

Many Palestinians have poured north in Gaza since the ceasefire began, returning to homes that have been destroyed by the fighting.