Netanyahu Faces Pressure as Hamas Signals Readiness for Limited Release Amid Ceasefire. Will He Go Against his most Fervent Backers and Drive Away His Right-Wing Coalition Partners?
Channel 12 News reports that Hamas is expected to release three living hostages on Saturday if the ceasefire agreement holds. This follows days of contradictory Israeli statements, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alternately demanding the release of “our hostages,” “9 hostages,” and “all of them” as conditions for the truce to continue.
The acceptance of this limited number has angered some families of captives and right-wing supporters, who expect a more aggressive posture given the strong US backing with President Donald Trump declaring, “Let hell break out,” if Hamas fails to comply fully with Israeli demands—raising speculation about Netanyahu’s willingness to resist pressure from both Trump and his domestic base.
A senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Al Jazeera, “We are committed to the agreed schedule,” rejecting calls for the release of all hostages at once. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel’s military would respond forcefully if the handover falls through.
Hamas has said it will follow through with the scheduled releases. Palestinian sources reported that indirect negotiations, facilitated by Egypt and Qatar, had helped defuse immediate tensions, allowing the Saturday transfer to proceed.
The situation remains volatile. Netanyahu’s next move may define his leadership at a moment when both Trump’s voice and Israeli public fury loom large.
Voices from Israel’s Right Unhappy
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has expressed strong opposition to the ceasefire, threatening to leave the coalition if the war does not resume. He criticized comparisons of the freed hostages to Holocaust victims, stating it was a “grave mistake” that showed “contempt” for the Holocaust. Smotrich suggested that those advocating for extending the ceasefire due to concerns about the hostages’ conditions are looking to “surrender to Hamas.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has also been a vocal critic of the ceasefire agreement. He resigned from his ministerial position in protest, labeling the deal as a “victory for terrorism.”
These statements reflect the intense pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu from the right, both from current coalition partners like Smotrich and former partners like Ben-Gvir, who are demanding a more aggressive approach toward Hamas and expressing dissatisfaction with the current ceasefire and hostage release arrangements. Their support of the government will depend on what Bibi decides in the coming days and weeks.
It’s a grave dilemma; if continuing with 3 hostages release version 3 will escape, but loosing some face …If insisting to all hostage release,and “ all hell broke lose” scenario, all hostages die But Hamas will meet their fate:annihilation.
Not easy situation…