US President-elect Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to terrorist group Hamas that the hostages taken by it be released from Gaza before his inauguration in January, or there will be "hell to pay" in the Middle East for those responsible.
Writing on Truth Social, and without naming any militant group, Trump said on Monday in his post: "If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity.". Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!
Approximately 250 hostages were taken in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and around 100 of them are still in Gaza, with a third of whom is believed to be dead, according to the Israeli authorities.
The Biden administration has been working since last year with Israel and international mediators, including Qatar and Egypt, on a cease-fire deal that would include the release of the hostages.
It was not clear what tactic Trump might take that has not already been taken already by Israel, which has killed many of Hamas's leaders and thousands of its fighters while leveling much of Gaza.
It was unclear what tactic Mr. Trump might adopt that has not been attempted already by Israel, which has killed many of Hamas's leaders and thousands of its fighters, and leveled much of Gaza.
Trump said in his post on Monday, "It's all talk and no action" when it comes to the hostages, and his statement suggesting that he could use the power of his office to punish those who took the captives is the first sign of how aggressively Trump might handle Middle East policy when he resumes office.
There was one brief lull in the fighting, over a year ago, that resulted in the freeing of around 105 hostages. And negotiations over a cease-fire agreement seemed to have hit a snag last month after diplomats met in Egypt.
Israeli military operations have rescued some of the hostages as well. But protests and frustration across the nation in Israel are over not having a deal made for their freedom, critics saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has not done his best to release the hostages for his own survival in politics.
This is not the first time that Trump has addressed the conflict in Gaza and the fate of the remaining hostages.
He has told Netanyahu that he wants the war in the enclave to end before he returns to the White House. And at the Republican National Convention in July, he said that he wanted the hostages returned and that captors "will be paying a very big price.". His latest warning came after Hamas released a propaganda video showing the American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, 20, pleading with Trump to secure his release.
Read also| Russia-China Joint Strategic Air Patrol Targets No Third Party: Spokesperson
Read also| Zelensky Presents New Conditions for Ceasefire, Moscow Remains Silent
