Israel’s defense minister threatened to open “the gates of hell” in Gaza if Hamas does not release Israeli hostages as planned on Saturday.

Already, Trump’s threat seems to have moved Hamas. On Thursday, the terrorist group said it would return to releasing Israeli hostages “according to the specified timetable.” It’s not clear whether that will satisfy Trump, who has said he wants an end to the drawn out process. Israel has also not yet responded to Hamas’ offer.

President Donald Trump on Friday advocated taking a "hard stance" on Gaza, the Palestinian enclave for which he has proposed a U.S. takeover and where a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants is in place.

Hamas says it will release the next group of three Israeli hostages as planned. That would pave the way toward resolving a major dispute over the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The 42-day ceasefire has appeared close to failure since Hamas on Monday unexpectedly announced it would stop releasing hostages, leading Israel to respond with a threat to return to war.

The fragile ceasefire in Gaza continued to hold steady as Hamas confirmed it is committed to the ceasefire conditions. NBC News’ Yasmin Vossoughian reports from Tel Aviv on the developments and the next hostage release.