President Trump warned the Hamas terror group Monday night to release all remaining hostages by noon Saturday, or he would allow Israel to cancel the ongoing cease-fire and “let hell break out” in the Middle East.
“As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock — I think it’s an appropriate time — I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office, without specifying what time zone the deadline would apply to.
“I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday. And if they’re not returned — all of them, not in dribs and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two – by Saturday at 12 o’clock. And after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out.”
Trump did not rule out sending US troops to the region — telling reporters “we’ll see what happens” — and did not expand on what he meant by “all hell is going to break out.”
“You’ll find out, and they’ll find out too. Hamas will find out what I mean,” he said, also without revealing whether he was referring to Israeli or US military force.
Trump later said he was speaking for “myself” and emphasized that Israel had the right to “override” any statement he made.
“But from myself, Saturday at 12 o’clock, and if they’re not, they’re not here, all hell is going to break out,” the president reiterated.
Trump said he feared many, if not all, of the dozens of remaining hostages are dead and accused Hamas of mistreating those who had been released.
Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy — three Israelis who were given freedom by Hamas on Saturday — were severely malnutritioned and had lost significant weight while being held captive during the last 16 months.
“Based on what I saw over the last few days, they’re not going to be alive for long,” Trump said, after previously comparing the released men’s state to that of “Holocaust victims.”
Hamas announced earlier Monday it was scrapping a scheduled hostage release for this weekend, arguing that Israel had not lived up to its side of the deal.
Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Hamas’ military section, said the terror group wanted something in return for Israel allegedly breaking its cease-fire agreement.
“Hostages who were scheduled to be released next Saturday … will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively,” Obeida wrote on X.
Hamas’ propaganda office in Gaza accused Israel Monday of not sending adequate humanitarian supplies to the Mediterranean territory — especially in the north, where much of the infrastructure is destroyed.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz criticized Hamas’ message as an “outright violation of the cease-fire,” per the Times of Israel.
Trump, 78, made his comment while signing executive orders in the Oval Office, repeating a line he has used before to directly threaten the terror group controlling the Gaza Strip.
The comments come five days after the president said he was looking to take control of the Gaza Strip and develop property on the territory, while moving Palestinians to neighboring countries without granting them right of return.
Trump has previously said he wants Egypt and Jordan to take in the more than 2 million Palestinians — and suggested Monday night that he may withhold aid to those countries if they refuse.
Egypt and Jordan are both in the top five of countries receiving US aid, coming in behind only Ukraine and Israel in fiscal year 2023.
“I do think he’ll take [them], and I think other countries will take also. They have good hearts,” Trump said of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who the president is set to meet Tuesday at the White House.
But Trump later seemed open to the idea of withholding aid when questioned by a reporter, saying: “Yeah, maybe, sure why not? If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.”
