Trump demands release of hostages held in Gaza, otherwise there will be ‘hell to pay’
US president-elect sets January 20 ultimatum, threatening undefined consequences if Hamas fails to comply
US President-elect Donald Trump is demanding the immediate release of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, saying that if they are not freed before he is sworn into office for a second term there will be “hell to pay”.
“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,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media site.
“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 wrote.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump was threatening to directly involve the US military in Israel’s continuing campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Trump allies have said he hopes there will be a ceasefire and hostage release deal before he returns to office early next year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment. But the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, welcomed Trump’s comments in a social media post.
