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President Donald Trump said Monday that “all hell is going to break out” and that the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas should be terminated if Hamas doesn’t release the remaining hostages by midday on Saturday.
“If they’re not returned — all of them, not in dribs and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two — by Saturday at 12 o’clock,” Trump said. “And after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out.”
Trump added that it’s ultimately up to Israel to decide, but that “Hamas will find out” if the deadline isn’t met. He also said “we’ll see what happens,” when asked if he can rule out U.S. involvement once midday Saturday arrives.
Trump’s response comes after Hamas threatened on Monday to delay the further release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire deal. The potential postponement poses a serious challenge to a precarious agreement, and comes amid increasing pressures in Israel after the release of the three emaciated Israeli hostages over the weekend after months of captivity.
Last week, the president pitched U.S. ownership of Gaza to turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” and the relocation of nearly 2 million Palestinians from their homeland. Trump doubled down on this idea in a Fox News interview that aired Monday, going against his administration’s efforts to argue that the president was only proposing temporary relocation.
In the interview with Bret Baier, Trump said Palestinians would not have the right to return to their homeland following a U.S. takeover — more comments that risk jeopardizing an already fragile ceasefire and hopes of further negotiations.
The ceasefire agreement reached in January called for the hostages to be released in small groups in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. Five groups of hostages have been released since the ceasefire began, including five Thai nationals. An additional 73 are believed to remain in Gaza, though not all of them are alive.
