President Donald Trump reiterated on Thursday his warning that Hamas must immediately release all remaining Israeli hostages. The group, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, stated that it would only do so in exchange for a lasting ceasefire. Hamas accused the U.S. and Israel of attempting to withdraw from negotiations.
As Palestinians try to rebuild their lives amidst a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.: release all Israeli hostages immediately or “pay a heavy price.”
On Thursday, he was asked what he meant by that.
“You’ll see. I had the honor of spending a lot of time yesterday with some of the released hostages, and I can’t believe how badly they were treated,” President Trump responded.
He made the warning on Wednesday after meeting with them.
The Trump administration sent $4 billion in arms to Israel this week, the second time in a month it has used emergency powers to bypass Congress’s approval for the sale.
A Hamas spokesperson said the best way to secure the release of the hostages is through ceasefire negotiations. Washington’s policy has been not to negotiate with terrorists. However, Trump confirmed that his administration has started direct talks with Hamas to secure the release of the hostages.
“We’re helping Israel in these discussions because we’re talking about Israeli hostages. And we’re not doing anything with regard to Hamas. We’re not giving money,” he said.
These talks appear to be separate from the negotiations between Hamas and Israel for securing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. The first phase ended last weekend.
“Many people predict that the ceasefire will fail because they expect Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu to start bombing Gaza again. And once that happens, there will be no more hostage releases,” said Mirette Mabrouk, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.
Meanwhile, Arab countries approved a counterproposal on Tuesday to Trump’s call to expel Palestinians and turn Gaza into a tourist destination. According to the Arab plan, Palestinians would remain there, and Hamas would be excluded from governance. Israel has rejected the plan.
The Arab countries’ plan is a “first step of goodwill,” said Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s envoy to the Middle East. He did not comment on whether Palestinians would be allowed to stay in Gaza.
“We are evaluating everything there. So, it’s a bit early to comment,” he said.
Israel has also blocked all aid to Gaza since Sunday, reiterating its long-standing accusations that it is being diverted to Hamas, which international agencies deny.
Currently, there is a fuel shortage in the region, which further threatens basic services like garbage collection.
