Israel has begun mobilising military reservists as tensions rise over a looming deadline for Hamas to free Israeli hostages. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that failure to release captives by Saturday will lead to renewed conflict.
Israel has begun calling up military reservists, bracing for a possible return to war in Gaza if Hamas fails to release hostages by Saturday, the agreed deadline under the ceasefire deal.
Concerns over the truce’s collapse have grown as outrage spreads in the Arab world over Trump’s proposal to take control of Gaza, relocate Palestinian residents, and develop an international beach resort.
Hamas, which previously agreed to release three more hostages on Saturday, has halted the process, accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire terms. Trump responded with a stern ultimatum: “All hostages must be freed by noon on Saturday, or I will let hell break out.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that “if Hamas stops the hostage releases, then there is no ceasefire—there is war.” He said renewed fighting would be “of another intensity altogether” and would bring Trump’s Gaza plan into reality.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Katz’s warning, saying Israel would resume “intense fighting” if Hamas failed to meet the deadline. However, he did not specify how many hostages must be freed.
The Israeli military has begun deploying additional troops to the south and activating reservists in preparation for potential action in Gaza. Netanyahu said he had instructed the military to be “ready for all scenarios.”
At the White House, Trump asked Jordan’s King Abdullah to ensure Hamas understands the severity of the situation.
Residents in Gaza fear that renewed fighting will make the humanitarian crisis even worse. “We had barely started believing that a truce would happen and that a solution was on the way,” said Lotfy Abu Taha, a resident of Rafah. “The people are suffering. The people are the victims.”
The armed wing of Hamas ally Islamic Jihad warned that the fate of Israeli hostages was now directly tied to Netanyahu’s decisions. “The only way to retrieve hostages and for stability to return is through a swap deal,” a spokesperson said.
Anger over Trump’s vision for Gaza is growing. Two Egyptian security officials said that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would not travel to Washington if discussions included the U.S. plan to relocate Palestinians. Egypt’s presidency has not commented on the matter.
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More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 96 in western Michigan on Monday (19 January), forcing the highway to shut in both directions amid severe winter weather.
U.S. President Donald Trump has linked his push to take control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, as tensions with Europe escalate and the European Union considers retaliatory measures that could reignite a transatlantic trade war.
France is expected to decline a U.S. invitation to join a proposed international ‘Board of Peace’ on Gaza, with sources close to President Emmanuel Macron saying Paris is not prepared, at this stage, to give a favourable response.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has accepted an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to become a founding member of the U.S.-led Board of Peace, while France has declined to take part, citing concerns over the body’s mandate.
Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93, his foundation said on Monday.
European leaders voiced growing alarm on Sunday over U.S. threats to impose tariffs on eight NATO allies, warning the move could destabilize transatlantic relations and heighten tensions in the Arctic.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a decree recognising Kurdish language rights, as government forces advanced against U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters despite U.S. calls for restraint.
Speaking on Armenian public radio on 9 January, Armenia’s Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan made some important announcements for 2026. Among them, discussions between Yerevan and Baku over the range of products Armenia can potentially export to Azerbaijan.
Five skiers were killed in a pair of avalanches in Austria’s western Alpine regions on Saturday, with two others injured, one critically.
Kurds in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli voiced caution on Monday (19 January) after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to withdraw from large areas under a ceasefire deal with Damascus.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed developments in Syria during a phone call on Monday, including Kurdish rights and cooperation against Islamic State, the Syrian presidency said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday (19 January) that an agreement reached between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces must be implemented swiftly, including the full integration of fighters, as Ankara pushes for lasting stability in Syria.
Azerbaijan is commemorating the 36th anniversary of the events of 20 January 1990, known as Black January, one of the most defining and painful chapters in the country’s modern history.
Iran is signalling to the United States that it retains the capacity to destabilise key regional and global interests, particularly energy markets, according to political analyst Chingiz Mammadov, Research Alumni at the National Endowment for Democracy.
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