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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One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukraine is ready to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow also halts strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Energy security dominated the opening day of the 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, as Saudi Arabia warned of a serious response to recent attacks and industry leaders confronted growing threats to global oil and gas supplies.
Iran has offered to help ease escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis, warning that further conflict would benefit only Israel. The offer followed a phone call between the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers.
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One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
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