Netanyahu warns Hamas of consequences it 'cannot imagine' if Gaza hostages are not released

LAST UPDATE | 12 hrs ago

ISRAELI’S PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hamas of consequences it “cannot imagine” if the group does not release the hostages held in Gaza.

“I tell Hamas: If you do not release our hostages, there will be consequences that you cannot imagine,” Netanyahu said during a speech at the Israeli parliament, as negotiations for the Gaza ceasefire’s continuation have stalled.

Netanyahu’s comments came a day after Israel blocked aid flowing into Gaza, where a six-week truce had enabled a surge of vital food, shelter and medical assistance after more than 15 months of fighting.

The move came as talks on a truce extension appeared to hit an impasse, after the ceasefire’s 42-day first phase drew to a close over the weekend.

Hamas has accused Israel of working to “collapse” a ceasefire agreement for Gaza and evade a continuation of the truce amid an impasse over its implementation.

“Violations of the agreement during the first phase prove beyond a doubt the [Israeli] occupation government was interested in the collapse of the agreement and worked hard to achieve that,” senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in a video statement.

He called Israel’s push for an extension of the deal “a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering into negotiations for the second phase”.

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Hamas and Israel are currently fighting over whether the ceasefire’s first phase should be extended (Israel’s desired outcome) or moved on to the second phase (Hamas’s desired outcome).

As talks on a truce extension appear to hit an impasse, Israel decided yesterday to block aid into Gaza.

Germany urged Israel to “immediately” stop blocking aid flowing Gaza.

“Unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip must be guaranteed at all times,” German foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a press briefing.

“Granting or denial of humanitarian access is not a legitimate means of pressure in negotiations.”

Germany, an ally of Israel, also called on Hamas to release the hostages it was still holding, Fischer said.

“Hamas must now put an end to the suffering and humiliation of the remaining hostages and their families,” he said.

Israel had announced a truce extension until mid-April that it said United States Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had proposed.

But Hamas has repeatedly rejected an extension, instead favouring a transition to the truce deal’s second phase that could bring a permanent end to the war.