‘Gates of Hell Will Be Opened If…’: Netanyahu Threatens Hamas on Hostage Release- wna24

Tel Aviv: Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel on Sunday issued a stern warning to Hamas saying “gates of hell will be opened” if all the remaining hostages aren’t released.

“We have a common strategy and we can’t always share details of this strategy with the public, including when the gates of hell will be opened — as they surely will if all our hostages are not released, until the last one of them,” Netanyahu said.

Speaking to the media following a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu asserted that Israel is working in full cooperation and coordination with the US.

This comes as the Israeli PM thanked US President Doanld Trump for his “full support” to the country in Gaza and in coordinating the peace deal with the terrorist group.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu… appreciates the president’s full support for Israel’s decisions regarding the Gaza Strip in future developments,” Netanyahu’s office said after Trump, in a post on social media, stated that Israel should choose how to respond to the successful conclusion of the latest exchange.

Earlier, Netanyahu touted Trump for his “bold vision” for Gaza’s future, and said he had discussed with Rubio how Israel and the US can work together to ensure that “that future becomes a reality.”

Over the weekend, Hamas released three more Israeli hostages. The three hostages released after more than 16 months in captivity are: Iair Horn, 46, a dual citizen of Israel and Argentina; Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, who is American-Israeli; and Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29, who holds Israeli and Russian citizenship.

The trio were abducted from one of the hardest-hit communities in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the devastating war. The Hamas-linked Prisoners’ Information Office said Friday that 369 Palestinians were set to be released from Israeli prisons on Saturday. It said 36 of those were serving life sentences.

Iair Horn: Horn was abducted along with his brother, Eitan Horn, who had been staying with him at the time. Eitan remains in captivity.

Sagui Dekel Chen: He had been working outside when militants stormed the kibbutz. His wife hid in a safe room with their two daughters. She gave birth to their third daughter two months later.

Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov: Troufanov was taken hostage along with his grandmother, mother and girlfriend. The three women were released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. Troufanov’s father was killed in the Oct. 7 attack.

Hamas had said it would delay the release of the hostages after accusing Israel of not adhering to their agreement by not allowing in enough shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble. Israel said it would resume fighting Saturday unless hostages were freed.

While the immediate crisis may have been averted, the truce faces a much bigger challenge with the deal’s first phase set to conclude in early March. There have not yet been substantive negotiations over the second phase, in which Hamas would release all remaining hostages in return for an end to the war.

At its height, the fighting displaced 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million. Hundreds of thousands have since returned to their homes as the ceasefire took hold, though many found only rubble, buried human remains and unexploded ordnance.

The war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Trump’s plan increases uncertainty Trump’s proposal to remove some 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and settle them elsewhere in the region has thrown the truce’s future into further doubt. The idea has been welcomed by Israel’s government. But it has been strongly rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries. Human rights groups say it could amount to a war crime under international law.

Trump has proposed that once the fighting ends, Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the United States, which would then redevelop it as the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s far-right allies are already calling for a resumption of the war after the first phase with the goal of destroying Hamas and implementing Trump’s plan. The militant group remains in control of the territory after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history.

Hamas may be unwilling to release any more hostages if it believes the war will resume. The captives are among the only bargaining chips it has left.