By Richard Thompson

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that a ceasefire that temporarily paused the war in Gaza will end this weekend unless Hamas frees Israeli hostages it is holding in captivity.

“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday at noon – the ceasefire will be terminated, and the (Israel Defense Forces) will return to intense combat until the final defeat of Hamas,” Netanyahu said in a statement after a meeting of his security cabinet.

It was not immediately clear if Netanyahu meant Hamas should release all hostages that are held in Gaza or just those that had been expected to be released on Saturday under the ceasefire.

Netanyahu’s threat to kill the ceasefire comes just one day after Hamas announced it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice over what it said were Israeli violations of the agreement. Hamas claims Israel has been slow to allow aid into Gaza, one of the conditions of the first phase of the deal. Israel denies the allegation.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, struck in January after months of negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S., called for the Palestinian militant group to release 33 hostages during the first phase of the deal. In return, Israel was to release around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Hamas has released 16 hostages so far, while 17 others have yet to be freed. Seventy-three are still being held in Gaza.

Israel believes some of the unreleased hostages are dead. Israeli officials announced Tuesday that the oldest hostage, Holocaust survivor Shlomo Mansour, was killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, the day the group mounted a massive attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, and that his body is being held hostage in Gaza.

Israel has released more than 700 Palestinian prisoners from its jails as a result of the ceasefire and hostage agreement.

Netanyahu’s remarks on Tuesday, however, are raising concerns the fragile deal will be called off before the remaining hostages are freed.

Following Netanyahu’s remarks, the Israeli military said it was deploying additional forces, including mobilizing reservists, in the south of the country.

A group representing families of hostages urged Netanyahu to stick to the ceasefire agreement.

"We must not go backwards,” the hostages forum said in a statement. “We cannot allow the hostages to waste away in captivity.”

'All hell'

The noon Saturday deadline that Netanyahu mentioned is the same one that President Donald Trump posed Monday when he issued an ultimatum to Hamas. Trump told reporters at the White House that Israel should cancel the ceasefire unless every hostage is freed.

If they aren’t, “all hell is going to break out,” he said.

A Hamas official said Israeli hostages could be brought home only if the ceasefire was respected, dismissing the "language of threats."

"Trump must remember there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties, and this is the only way to bring back the (Israeli) prisoners," a senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters. "The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters."

By Hannah Pantos

A triplex penthouse in Istanbul with a pool and views of the Bosphorus Strait has hit the market asking €12.6 million (US$13 million).

It is one of several penthouses at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in the updated Yap? Kredi Bank building in the Ni?anta?? neighborhood of Istanbul, on the European side of the Bosphorus. The modernist black-clad building was co-designed by Turkish architects Do?an Tekeli and Sami Sisa in 1972 as part of a competition.

In 2014, developer BLG Capital purchased the building with plans to restore and repurpose it. The company, which previously overhauled a 19th-century American embassy building into the current Soho House Istanbul, is known for such historic and adaptive reuse projects, according to its CEO Sinan Temo.

“We’re known for redeveloping and restoring historic buildings, both structurally and commercially,” Temo said. “We give them new identities so they can survive into the next generation.”

The black-clad Yap? Kredi Bank building on Valikona?? Street has significance as one of the first modern high-rises in Istanbul.

“This particular building is modern architecture that we believed needed to be preserved because of the visionary and modernist architects,” Temo said. So they upgraded all the systems in the building, restored the facade, and developed a total of 121 residential units across the 22 floors. The majority of units were delivered and sold by the time the building opened in 2023.

The triplex penthouse is part of the final crop of residences, a mixture of penthouses and garden duplexes, to hit the market. The unit, which comes furnished and move-in ready, spans nearly 2,500 square feet and includes six bedrooms, a double-height great room and a third floor dedicated entirely to the primary suite, flanked by rooftop terraces on either side. One of the terraces includes a pool and sauna with views of the city and the Bosphorus below.

While the building is 24 stories, its perch on a hilltop gives it the relative height of a 40-story building, Temo said.

All residents in the development have access to the building’s suite of amenities, including a Turkish hammam, a cinema, an art gallery that’s open to the public, and a guest suite that’s available to book for visitors.

Ni?anta?? is an upscale shopping neighborhood in Istanbul, filled with high street retail, global brands and fine dining. It is the “Madison Avenue” of Istanbul, said Temo, and very close to a number of hospitals and health clinics frequented by medical tourists.