Trump Issues Warning to Hamas
President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning regarding the consequences if Hamas does not return the remaining hostages and comply with disarmament requirements.
This week, Hamas and Israel engaged in the initial phase of a U.S.-mediated peace deal aimed at putting an end to a two-year conflict. As part of this agreement, Hamas released some Israeli and foreign hostages held since October 7, 2023. The return of 20 surviving hostages to Israel on Monday was seen as a significant success for the Trump administration’s Middle Eastern efforts.
However, Hamas did not meet the terms of the agreement regarding the return of most of the 28 deceased hostages, including two Israeli-American individuals, within the agreed 72-hour period. To date, only nine bodies have been returned, leaving 19 still unaccounted for in Gaza. According to Hamas’ military arm, they claim it would require “significant efforts and resources” to recover the remaining bodies.
The al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, stated on Wednesday that they had “complied with the terms of the agreement and handed over all living prisoners and accessible corpses in our possession.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz criticized the slow progress in locating the remaining bodies, labeling it a “missed promise.” Currently, U.S. officials maintain that Hamas has not breached its commitments to the ceasefire.
Two U.S. advisors reported that they are actively assisting in efforts to locate the missing bodies, acknowledging that some dead hostages may be buried beneath debris due to the extensive conflict in the area. It seems that Hamas is making it challenging to locate the majority of these hostages.
“I’ve heard from several sources that Hamas violated the agreement since not all the bodies were returned. There seemed to be an understanding that they would recover all the live hostages, which they did. But now we are working closely with mediators to try to recover as many bodies as possible,” one advisor mentioned.
The second advisor added, “Given the limited 72-hour ceasefire, I think it would have been nearly impossible for Hamas to mobilize and return all 28 bodies, even if they knew their locations.”
President Trump’s perspective appears to be shifting as he contemplates permitting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military action in Gaza if Hamas does not finalize a unilateral agreement.
In a phone call with CNN on Wednesday, Trump stated, “What is happening with Hamas will be resolved very soon.”
As time passes, tension is escalating in Israel with the remaining bodies still missing. Officials have signaled to the United Nations that the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza could be impacted or delayed due to the limited number of deceased hostages being returned.
Focusing on the living hostages, President Trump stressed, “The most crucial thing is to rescue the 20 hostages.”
When asked about potential actions if Hamas refuses to disarm, Trump remarked, “If you think about it, as soon as I say those words, Israel will be right back on that street. If Israel can come in and beat the crap out of them, they will.”
Trump also referenced Prime Minister Netanyahu’s National Defense Forces, indicating that it is essential to “stop them.”
