Senior defense officials believe that Israel should continue with the first stage of the hostage release deal until its completion—despite Hamas breaching the agreement by suspending the release of hostages scheduled for Saturday.
In a conversation with the political leadership, as revealed by Channel 12 News, the defense officials stated, "We need to show restraint right now to complete the first phase. We must not disrupt the momentum of returning the hostages. The mechanism is working, the mediators are guarantors of the agreement, and there is no real reason to interrupt the sequence at this time."
On the other hand, the officials noted, "We have significant offensive tools, and we are presenting all the options to you. We need to understand how things develop and leverage President Trump's statement in a way that benefits the release of as many hostages as possible. If there is no progress that gets the deal back on track, decisions will need to be made."
They added, "Hamas has been exposed to the massive destruction, is counting its dead, and publishing the list of its fallen commanders. Regarding the 'big guys' in uniforms from the ceremonies [of the release of the hostages]—it is highly likely that these are operatives who feared encountering IDF fighters and hid in humanitarian zones until the ceasefire began. And we will know how to return and strike them."
These comments were made as the Prime Minister's Office made an official announcement on Tuesday evening on the suspension of talks with mediators on phase two of the hostage deal, following Hamas' breach of the agreement.
A diplomatic source noted that the decision was made in response to Hamas violating the agreement, stating, "Therefore, there will be no progress in the continued implementation of the agreement or in negotiations on phase two—without the return of our hostages."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the decision following a Cabinet meeting that discussed Israel's response measures, saying: “In light of Hamas' announcement regarding its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I instructed the IDF to amass forces inside – and surrounding – the Gaza Strip. This action is being carried out at this hour and will be completed very soon.”
Netanyahu added, “The unanimous decision that I passed in the Cabinet is as follows: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas."