JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and resume its fight against Hamas if the militant group does not go ahead with the next scheduled release of hostages on Saturday.
Hamas said Monday — and reiterated Tuesday — that it planned to delay the release of three more hostages after accusing Israel of failing to meet the terms of the ceasefire, including by not allowing enough tents and other aid into Gaza.
US President Donald Trump has emboldened Israel to call for the release of even more remaining hostages on Saturday, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether Netanyahu’s threat referred to the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza, or just the three scheduled for release on Saturday.
Earlier Tuesday, an Israeli official said Netanyahu ordered the army to add more troops in and around the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu also ordered officials “to prepare for every scenario if Hamas doesn’t release our hostages this Saturday,” according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting.
Israel had signaled Monday it planned to reinforce defenses along the Gaza border. The all-scenario plan was announced during a four-hour meeting between Netanyahu and his Security Cabinet that focused on Hamas’ threat, which risks jeopardizing the three-week-old ceasefire.
So far, Hamas has released 21 hostages in a series of exchanges for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
President Donald Trump has said Israel should cancel the entire ceasefire if all of the roughly 70 hostages aren’t freed by Saturday. Hamas brushed off his threat on Tuesday, doubling down on its claim that Israel has violated the ceasefire and warned that it would only continue releasing hostages if all parties adhered to the ceasefire.
Trump is hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.
Palestinians and the international community have seethed over Trump’s recent comments that any Palestinians potentially expelled from Gaza would not have a right to return.
During the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas committed to freeing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while Israel said it would release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The sides have carried out five swaps since Jan. 19.
The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce.
But if Israel resumes the war, it will face a drastically different battlefield. After forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate to southern Gaza in the early stages of the war, Israel allowed many of those displaced people to return to what is left of their homes, posing a new challenge to its ability to move ground troops through the territory.
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Netanyahu threatens to resume fighting in Gaza if hostages aren’t released Saturday
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Netanyahu threatens to resume fighting in Gaza if hostages aren’t released Saturday
- War could resume in early March if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire
Sudan recovers 570 artefacts looted during war
PORT SUDAN: Sudanese authorities displayed ancient figurines, ornate vases and scarab-shaped amulets at a ceremony Tuesday in Port Sudan celebrating the recovery of more than 570 antiquities stolen from the national museum during the country’s long-running war.
The artefacts, arranged on large tables under heavy security, were recovered after months of investigation and brought to the wartime capital of Port Sudan.
The National Museum in Khartoum, which housed some of Sudan’s most important archaeological collections, was looted and badly damaged after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the capital in the early days of its war with the army, its former ally.
At the time, satellite images showed trucks carrying artefacts west, toward the vast region of Darfur — now completely under RSF control.
Since then, Sudanese authorities have worked with UNESCO and Interpol to track down the stolen items.
Authorities did not detail on Tuesday exactly how the artefacts were recovered.
“Sudan heritage is not only of national importance, it is a treasure of humanity,” said UNESCO’s representative in Sudan, Ahmed Junaid, referring to international efforts to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property.
“Many people do not know the value of the objects displayed on the tables, but they reflect the identity of the nation and its history,” said Sudan’s finance minister Gibril Ibrahim.
Khalid Aleisir, minister of information and culture announced a “financial reward” for anyone returning antiquities to the authorities, without specifying an amount.
Officials estimate that the recovered items account for about 30 percent of the objects looted from the museum.
Still missing are the contents of the so-called “gold room,” the museum’s most valuable collection, which included ancient jewelry and 24-carat gold pieces, some nearly 8,000 years old.
The artefacts, arranged on large tables under heavy security, were recovered after months of investigation and brought to the wartime capital of Port Sudan.
The National Museum in Khartoum, which housed some of Sudan’s most important archaeological collections, was looted and badly damaged after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the capital in the early days of its war with the army, its former ally.
At the time, satellite images showed trucks carrying artefacts west, toward the vast region of Darfur — now completely under RSF control.
Since then, Sudanese authorities have worked with UNESCO and Interpol to track down the stolen items.
Authorities did not detail on Tuesday exactly how the artefacts were recovered.
“Sudan heritage is not only of national importance, it is a treasure of humanity,” said UNESCO’s representative in Sudan, Ahmed Junaid, referring to international efforts to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property.
“Many people do not know the value of the objects displayed on the tables, but they reflect the identity of the nation and its history,” said Sudan’s finance minister Gibril Ibrahim.
Khalid Aleisir, minister of information and culture announced a “financial reward” for anyone returning antiquities to the authorities, without specifying an amount.
Officials estimate that the recovered items account for about 30 percent of the objects looted from the museum.
Still missing are the contents of the so-called “gold room,” the museum’s most valuable collection, which included ancient jewelry and 24-carat gold pieces, some nearly 8,000 years old.
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