Fragile Gaza ceasefire in peril

Israel threatened on Tuesday to resume "intense fighting" in Gaza if no hostages were released this weekend, echoing a warning from US President Donald Trump that has strained the fragile truce deal.

Trump, who has taken credit for securing the agreement that went into effect last month, said that "hell" would break out if Hamas failed to release "all" Israeli hostages by Saturday.

As he was hosting Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday, Trump was asked whether his deadline still held, and said "Yes".

Under the terms of the ceasefire, which has largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, hostages were to be released in batches in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody. So far, Israel and Hamas have completed five hostage-prisoner swaps.

But the agreement has come under increasing strain in recent days, prompting diplomatic efforts to salvage it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF (Israeli military) will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated".

Tensions, which initially spiked after Trump proposed last month taking over Gaza and removing its more than two million inhabitants, have grown following his latest comments.

"As far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday 12 o'clock... I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out," Trump said on Monday.

Senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump's remark "further complicates matters".

"Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties and this is the only way to return" the hostages, he told AFP.

His group said it would postpone the next hostage release, scheduled for Saturday, accusing Israel of violating the deal and calling for it to fulfil its obligations. UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged Hamas to proceed with the planned release.

"We must avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to immense tragedy," he said on X. Yemen's Huthi rebels, who are aligned with Hamas and have launched attacks throughout the war in support of the Palestinians, said on Tuesday they were "ready to launch a military intervention at any time in case of escalation against Gaza".

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the war has killed at least 48,218 people in the territory, figures the UN considers reliable.

A UN report issued on Tuesday said that more than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the "humanitarian catastrophe" in the devastated territory