Hamas rats burrow underground: Hamas leaders turn off phones

The Hamas intelligence service has instructed the terrorist group's military and political leaders to stop using their mobile phones so they can't be tracked, according to a report today (Tuesday) in the Saudi paper al-Sharq al-Awsat, as reported by Ynet.

This dramatic decision comes in the wake of the crisis caused by Hamas, when the terrorist group said it was delaying the release of hostages in accordance with the hostage deal "until further notice" due to alleged repeat Israeli violations.

This decision led to increased Hamas demands, including not only for more humanitarian aid supplies but also all kinds of heavy equipment, which Israel fears could be used to breach the border and launch additional attacks on Israel.

President Donald Trump responded to this sudden change in policy by declaring that Hamas should release all the hostages by Saturday or "all hell" would break loose, with the ceasefire ending and the IDF reinvading the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after meeting with the cabinet today, said that the government unanimously supported Trump's ultimatum, and that he instructed the IDF to prepare to renew the war if the hostages were not freed in accordance with the schedule agreed upon in the deal.

Other political sources said that Israel now expected not only the three hostages scheduled to be released to be freed on Saturday, but rather all nine remaining living hostages in the hostage deal list - and according to another source, all hostages, without exception.

According to the sources speaking to al-Sharq al-Awsat, Hamas was already planning to have its commanders stop using their phones by the end of the first phase of the hostage deal, a sign that they either didn't believe the second phase, ending the war and freeing the remaining hostages, would happen - or that they didn't want it to happen for their own reasons.