'You can't trust Hamas': Israel warned hostage deal gives militants the upper hand
John Bolton warned "Hamas likely wants this pause for its own military reasons" as Israel says the war will continue after the temporary truce.
Hamas "cannot be trusted" and the hostage deal with Israel risks costing the country its "military momentum", former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has warned.
Israel and Hamas have agreed a deal for the release of 50 women and children hostages held in Gaza in return for 150 Palestinian women and children to be freed from Israel.
Hamas currently has over 200 Israeli hostages following its brutal terror attack on the country on October 7, which led to the deaths of 1,200 civilians.
Joe Biden welcomed the deal on Wednesday, saying: "I appreciate the commitment that Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government have made in supporting an extended pause to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza.
"It is important that all aspects of this deal be fully implemented.
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"Today’s deal should bring home additional American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all released."
However, Mr Bolton - a former advisor to Donald Trump - has warned Israel could be making a huge mistake by agreeing to a pause the fighting.
Mr Bolton posted on X: "You can't trust Hamas. This hostage deal is badly flawed. Israel risks losing its military momentum, and seeing the pause turn into a long-term ceasefire.
"Hamas likely wants this pause for its own military reasons, as part of a broader move to position Israel as the bad actor and prevent it from doing what's necessary - the complete destruction of Hamas."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the war will continue after the ceasefire, suggesting Israel will try to prevent Hamas from regrouping after heavy bombardment in Gaza.
He said: “We are at war, and we will continue the war. We will continue until we achieve all our goals.”
On the hostages, Mr Netanyahu continued: “I told the dear families [of the hostages]: ‘Returning our hostages is a sacred and supreme task – and I am obligated to it together with my colleagues.
"As Maimonides says: There is no greater precept than redeeming captives.
"We will not relent in our efforts until we redeem them all, the young men and women, the elderly men and women, the male and female soldiers, all of them.
"In war there are stages, and in returning the hostages there are stages, but we will not relent until we achieve the absolute victory and until we bring them all back."
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