‘Hell to pay in Middle East’: Donald Trump issues deadline to Hamas for Gaza hostage release

By Gargi Chaudhry | First Published Dec 3, 2024, 8:36 AM IST

Donald Trump warned Hamas of severe consequences if hostages taken during the October 7 attack are not released before his inauguration on January 20, 2025. He emphasized that those responsible will face unprecedented repercussions if the captives, including dual Israeli-American nationals, are not freed.

In reference to those it captured during the October 7 attack in Israel last year, US President-elect Donald Trump warned Hamas on Monday (local time) that if the hostages in the Gaza Strip are not freed before he takes office on January 20 of next year, there will be "hell to pay" in the Middle East. In its deadly attack in 2023 on Israel, Hamas terrorists had held over 250 people hostage, including dual Israeli-American nationals. Nearly half of the 101 foreign and Israeli hostages are still under captivity in Gaza and are believed to be alive.

Here's what Donald Trump said:

"Everyone is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire world, in the Middle East," Trump said in his most direct comments on the captives since his historic victory in the presidential election on November 5.

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"However, there is no action—just talk! Please allow this TRUTH to serve as a reminder that there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East and for those in authority who committed these crimes against humanity if the hostages are not freed before January 20, 2025, the day I proudly take office as President of the United States," he added.

“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!" he added in a strong-worded post.

Ceasefire conditions

In any agreement to halt the conflict and free the prisoners, Hamas has demanded that Israel leave Gaza. The fight against Hamas will not end until the terrorist organization is totally destroyed and no longer a danger to the Jewish nation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed. 33 captives were killed in Gaza during the 14-month-old conflict between Hamas and Israel in the territory, the organization told the world on Monday. However, it kept their ethnicities a secret.

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