A Palestinian woman stands in front of the ruins of houses near the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip, on Feb 9, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas on Tuesday that Israel would end the ceasefire and resume "intense fighting" if the Palestinian armed group "does not return our hostages by Saturday".
And President Donald Trump of the United States threatened the same day that "all hell is going to break out" if the Palestinian militant group does not release "all" the remaining hostages this week.
Will the military conflict resume in the Gaza Strip? The situation in Gaza is on a knife-edge.
It remains unclear whether Netanyahu is demanding the release of all 76 remaining hostages, or just the three due to be freed this Saturday.
Hamas said that it was postponing freeing more hostages as a "warning message" to Israel, which it said has repeatedly violated the terms of the three-week-old ceasefire deal.
Hamas accused Israel of preventing the return of displaced Gazans to the north of the strip, blocking the planned influx of humanitarian aid and continuing to kill "many" Palestinians despite the pause in fighting.
Trump's demand that all the remaining hostages be set free gives the impression that the Israeli Cabinet and the White House have reached a consensus that further military action should be taken against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It is quite probable that the support Netanyahu was offered on his visit to Washington early this month has emboldened him to take further military actions in the Gaza Strip with the aim of displacing the Palestinian population. After their talks, Trump spoke of resettling the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Israel handing over control of the Palestinian enclave to the US, which would develop it into the "Riviera of the Middle East".
The negotiation for the second phase of the ceasefire, which should have begun 16 days after the ceasefire took effect, hasn't started yet. Which bodes ill for the ceasefire's prospects.
Given the fact that Israeli military actions in Gaza have led to the death of some 40,000 Palestinians and displaced the majority of Palestinian residents there, causing a dire humanitarian crisis, it has become a top priority for the ceasefire to last until a workable solution is worked out for the end of the war and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
It is irresponsible for US President Donald Trump to talk about his plan for the resettlement of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and for him to make threatening remarks to Hamas about "all hell is going to break out".
It is imperative for all countries and parties involved in the mediation between Israel and Hamas to do whatever they can to persuade both parties to treasure the ceasefire and give peace a chance by strictly abiding by what the deal requires.
Washington should realize that resumption of the military conflicts in the Gaza Strip may trigger a much larger conflict involving other parties such as Iran and the Houthis in Yemen, which will make the situation in the Middle East even more complicated. The consequences of that may be unimaginably disastrous not just for the region but also for the entire world.
It is unrealistic for Israel to displace all the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. And it is wishful thinking for Hamas to believe that their resistance will finally destroy Israel. Both parties must realize that permanent peace in the region lies in the peaceful coexistence between both.
Continued military conflicts between both parties will only increase the animosity between both peoples, which will make it harder for the two sides to reach a peace deal.
China firmly supports the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, and believes that "Palestinians governing Palestine" is an important principle that must be upheld in the post-conflict governance of Gaza. It opposes the forced displacement of the people of Gaza.
As a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said: "Under the current circumstances, the international community, major countries in particular, need to play a constructive role in implementing the ceasefire deal, and promoting the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and reconstruction there."
It should be the top priority of all concerned to make the ceasefire last as long as possible for both parties to have further talks on peacemaking in the region.
