Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office late Monday, Trump also suggested that the United States might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt unless they agreed to take in displaced Palestinians from Gaza, a move widely condemned as an attempt at forced displacement, PressTV reported.
The ceasefire was initiated last month between the Israeli regime and Hamas in the hope of ending a ferocious war of genocide by the regime that had claimed the lives of at least 17,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Ever since its onset, the deal has witnessed numerous Israeli violations that have claimed the lives of hundreds more Palestinians.
The agreement has mandated the phased release of the Zionist captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Earlier on Monday, Hamas announced that it was suspending the process, citing Israeli violations of the agreement. In response, Tel Aviv ordered the military to prepare for “any scenario in Gaza.”
Trump, meanwhile, called “Saturday 12 o’clock” an appropriate time for the release of all the captives, saying if the release did not take place, “I would say cancel it (the ceasefire deal).”
“All bets are off and let hell break out” in case the captives were not handed over, he reiterated.
The US president also rejected gradual exchange of the captives. “We want them all back. Not in dribs and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two,” he said.
When asked about specific measures the US would take to enforce his demand, Trump responded, “You’ll find out. And they’ll find out too. Hamas will find out what I mean.”
Despite Trump’s comments, Hamas indicated that negotiations could still continue if the regime abided by its commitments. “The door remains open for the [captive/]prisoner exchange batch to proceed as planned, once the occupation complies,” the group said in a statement.
SD/
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