Netanyahu once again at the gates of hell… will Trump’s Gaza plan endure?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to “open the gates of hell” if Hamas fails to comply with the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with CBS News, Netanyahu declared: “I agreed to give peace a chance,” in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan.
He emphasized that “the release of hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and the end of arms smuggling into Gaza are essential to achieving lasting peace.”
Netanyahu also referred to the return of the bodies of deceased hostages, after Hamas handed over last Monday all the living captives it had held.
He repeated Trump’s warning that if Hamas fails to honor the agreement, “the situation will explode completely.”
The return of the hostages’ remains poses a challenge for Hamas given the extensive devastation left by the war. The movement has requested more time to locate them.
Yet, the hostages’ bodies are not the only stumbling block on the difficult path to peace, as Hamas is also required to surrender its weapons—something it insists is off the table.
On Wednesday, Israel decided not to reopen the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing and to scale back humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
This marks the first dispute between Israel and Hamas in the implementation of Trump’s plan. Trump admitted yesterday that the issue of the bodies would be difficult but asserted that it would not derail the agreement.
According to Israel’s Broadcasting Authority, the security establishment recommended that the government not reopen the Rafah crossing and withhold humanitarian aid until Hamas returns the bodies of the hostages.
“Israel decided today (Tuesday) not to open the Rafah crossing tomorrow as a punishment for Hamas, which has not returned all the deceased hostages in its possession. In addition, humanitarian aid will not be delivered into Gaza,” the statement read.
Hamas had announced the return of 4 out of 28 bodies.
The Broadcasting Authority added: “The number of bodies handed over so far is fewer than planned.”
Under the agreement, the reopening of Rafah’s Palestinian side had been scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday.
The Authority also reported that after Hamas returned only 4 bodies, Egypt informed Israel of its intention to form a team of Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish representatives to enter Gaza and work with Hamas to resolve the issue of returning the dead.
“This team is not part of the international mechanism defined in the agreement between Israel and Hamas; it will be established to resolve the matter swiftly,” the statement added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump declared that Hamas must lay down its arms, otherwise they would be taken away.
During a White House meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, Trump stated: “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly, perhaps violently.”
He said he had conveyed this message to Hamas, who allegedly agreed to the disarmament clause in his 20-point peace proposal.
“I spoke with Hamas, I told them: you will lay down your arms, right? Yes, sir, we will. That’s what they told me,” he added, clarifying that the message was delivered through intermediaries.
Trump also urged Hamas to hand over the remaining bodies of deceased hostages, stressing that this step was necessary to move on to the next stage of the U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “The twenty hostages have all returned in good condition (…) a huge burden has been lifted, but the mission is not complete.”
He noted that the promise to return all the bodies had not been fulfilled.
This message came just hours after his swift trip to Israel and Egypt, underscoring the prevailing uncertainty surrounding the ceasefire and hostage deal brokered between Israel and Hamas under U.S. mediation.
