US President Donald Trump issued a stern ultimatum on Monday (Feb 10), warning that "all hell" will break loose unless all Israeli hostages held in Gaza are released by Saturday (Feb 15). The warning comes as Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement and threatened to delay future prisoner exchanges.  

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What did Trump say?

Speaking at the White House, Trump said he would call for an end to the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel if all hostages aren't returned.

The truce, which began on January 19, marked a pause in over 15 months of intense conflict in Gaza. It has already facilitated the release of five groups of Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

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Addressing reporters, Trump declared "as far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday 12 o'clock -- I think it's an appropriate time -- I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out."

His remarks come as Hamas claimed Israel had failed to meet its commitments under the deal, including providing humanitarian aid and addressing the deaths of three Gazans during the ceasefire.  

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Earlier on Monday, Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades had announced that the next hostage release, "which was scheduled for next Saturday, February 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice".

Also read | Trump reacts to ‘horrible condition’ of Israeli hostages, says US will ‘lose patience’ with Gaza ceasefire

Ubaida said that the resumption of hostage-prisoner exchanges was "pending the (Israeli) occupation's compliance and retroactive fulfilment of the past weeks' obligations".

Later, in another statement, the Palestinian militant group Hamas said that it had intentionally declared a pause on prisoner exchange five days ahead of the next scheduled exchange. This it said was done to allow mediators ample time to pressure Israel "towards fulfilling its obligations."

"The door remains open for the prisoner exchange batch to proceed as planned, once the occupation complies," said Hamas.

Also read | ‘Blatant violation of ceasefire’: Hamas indefinitely delays hostage exchange; Israel asks military to ‘be prepared’

Israel responds to Hamas

Responding to Hamas statements, Israel said its military was readying for "any possible scenario".

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz branded Hamas's actions a "complete violation" of the agreement and said, "I have instructed the IDF (military) to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza." 

Mediators are set to meet in Qatar this week to address disputes over the ceasefire's implementation and discuss subsequent phases of the deal. 

(With inputs from agencies)