After meeting with a group of eight freed hostages at the White House Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a renewed threat to the Hamas terror organization.
“‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye — You can choose,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Release all of the hostages now — not later — and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.”
Shortly after releasing that ultimatum on X and on his Truth social media platform, Trump posted another message, showing him meeting with eight former Israeli hostages at the White House, in which he restated the ultimatum.
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“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say. … RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”
Shortly after the messages were posted to social media, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, said the president is done waiting for the terrorist group to release hostages in Gaza.
“He’s lost his patience with it,” Rubio told Hannity on Wednesday. “He’s tired of watching videos of emaciated hostages being released, bodies turned over — sometimes the wrong ones — and these games being played.”
Rubio said Hamas should take Trump’s threats seriously.
“He doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean,” Rubio said. “If he says he’ll do something, he’ll do it. They better take that seriously.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised Trump’s renewed ultimatum, reposting it to X with a message in English.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for your commitment to Israel’s security and the security of the entire free world and for your concern for the return of all our hostages to their homes,” Smotrich wrote.
Former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was interviewed on 103FM radio Thursday morning, where he called on the Israeli government to take advantage of Trump’s support to “Bring down the gates of hell” on Hamas.
“I think the Israeli government must take advantage of this statement. It is impossible to just accept such good gifts from such a powerful, strong, and simple president, and the Israeli government is bypassing President Trump from the left. Bring down the gates of hell on them,” Ben Gvir said on the program.
Knesset Constitution Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman, also reposted Trump’s message, writing, “This is the only way to bring them all home. Thank you, Mr. President.”
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tweeted his support for Trump’s firm stance, while criticizing the Biden administration for not being tough on Hamas.
“This ultimatum should have been delivered to Hamas early on by the Biden Administration. Mr. President: You are right to say it, and it’s imperative you do it if Hamas refuses,” Graham wrote on X.
In response to Trump’s post, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told the Turkish news site Anadolu Agency, “These threats complicate matters regarding the ceasefire agreement and encourage the occupation not to implement its terms.”
“There is an agreement that was signed and Washington was a mediator in it and it includes the release of all prisoners in 3 stages and Hamas has implemented what it was required to do in the first stage, while (Israel) is evading the second stage,” Qassem stated. “The US administration is required to pressure the occupation to enter into negotiations for the second stage as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.”
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Mujahideen terror group, condemned Trump’s ultimatum, saying it shows the U.S. desire “to proceed as a partner in the crimes of genocide against our people.”
“Trump’s threats today clearly reveal the ugly face of the United States of America and show its lack of seriousness and its renunciation of the agreement it mediated,” the terror organization said.
Hostage families from the Tikva (Hope) Forum, a politically right hostage family group which has been relatively supportive of the coalition government’s approach to the war, released a statement saying, “We demand that Prime Minister Netanyahu adopt Trump’s words, and set a very short deadline for Hamas to release all the abductees in one stroke on one bus. The games are over. The abductees have to come back now, they don’t have time.”
This article was originally published by All Israel News.
ALL ISRAEL NEWS is based in Jerusalem and is a trusted source of news, analysis and information from Israel to our Christian friends around the world.
