US President Donald Trump on Monday, 10 February, said "all hell will break out" if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages by Saturday 12 o'clock.
"Hamas will find out what I mean," he said in response to a question about the nature of the retaliation to Hamas's failure to deliver at a news briefing in the Oval Office, which is increasingly becoming the norm.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on 7 October 2023, 73 are still in their custody; Israel has declared 34 of them to be dead. The rest have been released as part of a six-week ceasefire in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody of other deals.
The last bunch -- of these hostages -- were released by Hamas last Saturday in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners.
The freed hostages were described as in "shocking" condition by Israel.
President Trump said at the news briefing that the hostages "look like they came out of the Holocaust".
He went on further saying that these hostages were probably in the best condition compared to the rest and that is why Hamas released them, because the others are "not going to make them look very good".
Then, he issued the Saturday deadline.
"If all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 o'clock," he said, "all bets are off and let hell break out. 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."
There, at least, he left a back door for possible exit of deadline.
"I am speaking for myself. Israel can override it. But from myself, Saturday at 12 o'clock, and if they are not, they are not here, all hell is going to break out."
Trump is expected to receive King Abdullah II of Jordan at Washington this week.
The threat came after Egypt rejected earlier on Monday "any compromise" that would infringe on Palestinians' rights, in a statement issued after Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with his US counterpart in Washington.
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