JERUSALEM, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that if the Israeli hostages held in Gaza are not returned by Saturday, the ceasefire with Hamas will be canceled, and Israel will resume "intensive fighting" in the war-torn enclave.

In a video statement, Netanyahu said the move was unanimously approved by his Cabinet ministers during a four-hour meeting held in the afternoon.

Under the decision, "if Hamas does not return our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated," he said.

Netanyahu's remarks came a day after Hamas announced that the handover of hostages scheduled for Saturday would be postponed until further notice.

On Monday, Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement that during the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored Israel's failure to abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Accordingly, the handover of the hostages will be postponed until further notice and until Israel ensures adherence to the deal and compensates for the past weeks retroactively, Obeida noted. "We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them."

These developments came after an Israeli delegation returned from Qatar, where indirect talks were held regarding the next phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Under the current ceasefire, which took effect on Jan. 19 after 15 months of war, 21 hostages -- 16 Israelis and five Thais -- were released from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees freed from Israeli jails. During the first phase of the agreement, which spans six weeks, 33 Israeli hostages and about 2,000 Palestinian detainees are expected to be released. Enditem

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