ISTANBUL 

The Israeli army is preparing to resume the war in the Gaza Strip if no agreement is reached to extend a ceasefire, the Israeli broadcasting authority reported Saturday.

“Achieving calm in Gaza requires an active agreement; otherwise, the only two options are the release of prisoners or war,” it said, citing a senior Israeli security source.

The broadcaster also cited sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he is not interested in moving to the second stage of the prisoner exchange deal.

Israeli Channel 13, however, citing unnamed Israeli officials, reported that "Netanyahu is leaning toward extending the ceasefire for several more days before the potential return to fighting in Gaza."

KAN quoted a senior security source who said that achieving calm in Gaza requires an active agreement, warning that the only two options are prisoner release or war.

Another security source warned that if fighting resumes, it will be "more intense than before," especially given the green light reportedly granted by US President Donald Trump to Israel, without further details.

The Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, reaffirmed Friday its commitment to implementing all provisions of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement as the first phase concludes.

Hamas urged mediators to immediately pressure Israel to proceed with the second phase of the deal.

The first phase of the ceasefire is set to conclude late Saturday. The second phase was supposed to begin on day 16 of the agreement, Feb. 3, but Netanyahu blocked the process, seeking to extend the first phase to secure the release of more Israeli captives from Gaza.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Netanyahu began consultations with Cabinet ministers at 7.30 p.m. (1730GMT) to discuss the future of the Gaza agreement, following Hamas’ rejection of Israel’s proposal to extend the first phase of the deal.

According to the report, Netanyahu held unusual phone consultations Friday with senior political and security officials, after the Israeli negotiating delegation returned from Cairo.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.