Trump’s response to the delay of the next hostage release raised the stakes even higher.

In an attempt to back the group into a corner, he has now demanded that Hamas releases “all” of the remaining Israeli hostages on Saturday, although he has acknowledged that the decision ultimately lies with Israel.

For his part, Netanyahu has deliberately fudged his position in order to keep his options open, not explicitly backing Trump’s most recent statement.

Hamas says it rejects US and Israeli ‘threats’ over Gaza ceasefire

Hamas has dismissed Trump’s new deadline, saying that “the language of threats has no value and only complicates matters”