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After three weeks of a ceasefire allowed aid to flow into Gaza and gave its people respite from relentless bombing, fears are rising that a flurry of escalating statements from Hamas, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could topple the uneasy agreement.
On Tuesday, Hamas said it would delay an exchange of hostages planned for Saturday until further notice because of Israeli breaches of the truce. It later said the “door remains open” for the militant group to release Israeli hostages under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal, if mediators put pressure on Israel to respect the agreement. Israel said it was amassing troops on the border with Gaza in response to the comments.
For Dalia Al Sawaf, 31, whose home in Shujaiya was completely destroyed during the past 15 months of war, statements like this offer little solace in the face of the enclave's wide destruction. Now living with her parents, she sees beyond the immediate conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“Hamas wasn’t just sending a message to Israel – they were also sending it to America. And Trump’s response was to threaten us,” Ms Al Sawaf told The National. “But we trust in God. We won’t let Trump’s words affect us as long as we have the right to demand justice.”
Mr Trump warned “all hell would break out” if the captives were not freed by “Saturday at 12 o'clock”.
Ms Al Sawaf dismissed the remarks, questioning what more could possibly be done to a place already in ruins.
“When he talks about hell, which hell exactly? Gaza is already destroyed. What else can he do? It seems he forgets that the last time he threatened hell on the Middle East, it was Los Angeles that burned.”
Like many others in Gaza, she has become indifferent to the constant threats, but the uncertainty of what the future holds weighs heavily on those who have already lost everything.
On Tuesday evening, Mr Netanyahu joined Mr Trump in threatening to resume fighting in the Gaza Strip unless its hostages in Gaza are released.
“In light of Hamas' announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I ordered the IDF to amass forces inside and around the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Ahmad Abu Saif, 27, from Gaza city believes the Hamas statement is a bluster designed to pressure Israel into allowing more humanitarian aid, especially tents and caravans. His home was reduced to rubble, and his family is now staying in his grandmother’s partially damaged house.
“I’m worried the ceasefire might break down,” Mr Abu Saif told The National. “My family needs a safe place to live. Our current house is barely standing, and we have nowhere else to go.
“I hear Trump’s remarks, but I don’t think we should worry too much about him. Maybe he’s just trying to pressure Hamas. The real danger is if his madness becomes a reality and pushes us back to square one – just when we were beginning to see small signs of change.”
In the brief pause in fighting, Palestinians have begun trying to clear and rebuild where they can, stymied by a lack of heavy machinery. The UN said on Tuesday that more than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the “humanitarian catastrophe,” including $20 billion in the first three years alone.
In Khan Younis, Ahmad Saeed, 40, originally from Rafah, now lives in a tent after being displaced by war. He understands the significance of the decisions being made, the stakes involved, and the looming risk of renewed conflict.
“It’s not an easy decision for Hamas to resume fighting, but Israel’s violations of the ceasefire left them with no other option. We hope everything is resolved before Saturday because none of us want to return to war.”
For Mr Saeed, one of the most concerning aspects of Mr Trump’s repeated comments is his insistence on forcing Gazans out of their homeland.
“We can’t ignore what Trump is saying. He keeps saying that Gaza’s people should leave. That’s worrying. What if he tries to use force to make that happen? We’d be the ones to suffer.”
Mr Trump’s words carry significant weight, especially in a region where US support for Israel has shaped the conflict for decades.
“He is the president of America, and America supports Israel. We need Arab countries to stand with us and protect our right to remain on our land, to resist both America and Israel.”
On Tuesday evening, after meeting Mr Trump at the White House, Jordan's King Abdullah II said Egypt would present a plan to work with the US over Washington's Gaza takeover proposal.
He said Mr Trump “is looking at Egypt coming to present that plan. As I said, we will be in Saudi Arabia to discuss how we should work with the president and with the US. Let's wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president”.
