President-elect Donald Trump warned in a post on Truth Social on Monday that there would be “all hell to pay” if Hamas doesn’t release the remaining Israeli hostages before his inauguration.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump wrote. “Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that 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.”
A hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas appeared to be close earlier this year, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked to sabotage it, a fact that’s been widely acknowledged by Israeli media outlets and Israeli officials.
Trump added in his post, “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!”
Trump’s threat came after Hamas released a video of Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American IDF soldier who was taken hostage during the October 7 attack on southern Israel. In the video, Alexander addressed Trump and called on him to use his “influence and the full power of the United States to negotiate for our freedom.”
On Monday, Israel also confirmed the death of Omer Maxim Neutra, a New York-born IDF tank commander. Israel said he was killed during the October 7 attack while stationed in a tank on the Gaza border and his body has been held by Hamas.
Hamas said a total of 33 Israeli hostages had been killed in Gaza due to Israel’s onslaught, and others have gone missing. Hamas recently said Israeli airstrikes killed a female hostage in northern Gaza, a claim the Israeli military said it couldn’t confirm or deny. There are believed to be 97 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, and Israeli media reported back in September that Netanyahu told a Knesset committee that only half of the hostages were believed to be alive.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported in October that the Israeli government was done with ceasefire talks and was instead focused on annexing portions of the Gaza Strip. There’s been some recent efforts by mediators to restart talks, but there’s no sign the effort is going anywhere.
On the campaign trail, Trump called for peace in the Middle East but also signaled he would strongly back Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. He accused President Biden of “abandoning” Israel even though the Biden administration has provided more military aid to Israel in a single year than the US has ever before.
