If Hamas does not return Israeli hostages by noon on Saturday, the Israeli prime minister will have a “green light” to start the war again, Middle Eastern experts told Sky News.
Fawaz Gergus, Sky’s Wilfred Frost, LSE’s chairman of Modern Middle Eastern Studies, said Benjamin Netanyahu “didn’t want a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Instead, he presented Donald Trump with a ceasefire before taking office.
But Trump’s comments said that Gaza ceasefire should be cancelled if the remaining Israeli hostages are not returned, meaning Israeli leaders will start the war any time on Saturday It means that you have a “green light” from the US president for that.
“Even if the ceasefire survives on Saturday, it is doubtful whether the second phase of the ceasefire will survive,” he said.
He questioned whether Trump really gave Netanyahu the green light to push the war on him, Gelgus said Trump’s “unintelligible” idea to quit Gaza “has just turned the script over.” .
He states:
“What we have now is a different situation.”
