BREAKING: Donald Trump Gives Hamas 5 Days To Release Israeli Hostages, Vows To Do This
The United States (U. S. ) President, Donald Trump has issued a stern ultimatum to Hamas, demanding the immediate release of all hostages held by the group in Gaza by midday on Saturday. Failing that, he warned, he would advocate for the cancellation of the Israel- Hamas ceasefire, stating, ” Let hell break out. ”
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump expressed frustration over the condition of the recently freed hostages and Hamas’ decision to halt further releases. He insisted that all captives be freed simultaneously rather than in small groups.
” As far as I’ m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’ t returned by Saturday at 12 o’ clock, I think it’ s an appropriate time. I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out, ” Trump declared.
The president also suggested that Israel might act on its own regardless of his recommendations. He hinted at a possible discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the matter.
Trump further warned that he might suspend U. S. financial aid to Jordan and Egypt if they refuse to accept Palestinian refugees fleeing Gaza. His remarks come ahead of a scheduled meeting with Jordan’ s King Abdullah on Tuesday, where the topic is expected to be discussed.
This statement adds to tensions in the region, as both Egypt and Jordan have strongly opposed any forced displacement of Palestinians. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed his country’ s stance in a meeting with U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stating that Arab nations support the Palestinians’ right to remain in their homeland.
Trump also reignited controversy by promoting his proposal for a U. S. – led redevelopment of Gaza. First introduced after a February 4 meeting with Netanyahu in Washington, the plan envisions the displacement of Gaza’ s 2. 2 million residents and a transformation of the coastal territory into what he called the ” Riviera of the Middle East. ”
The proposal suggests that displaced Palestinians would not return to Gaza, contradicting earlier U. S. assurances that any relocation would be temporary. When asked if Palestinians would have the right to return, Trump responded, ” No, they wouldn’ t because they’ re going to have much better housing. I’ m talking about building a permanent place for them. ” He argued that it would take years before Gaza would be habitable again.
The plan has been met with fierce opposition from Palestinians, Arab states, and human rights organisations, with critics labelling it as ethnic cleansing. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri called Trump’ s remarks ” irresponsible” and warned that such ideas could further destabilise the region.
Netanyahu, while praising the vision of redeveloping Gaza, suggested that Palestinians might return once reconstruction was complete. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rubio stated that Palestinians would need to ” live somewhere else in the interim, ” though he did not explicitly rule out permanent displacement.
The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, established last month, is now at risk following Hamas’ announcement on Monday that it would halt the release of hostages. The group cited alleged Israeli violations of the agreement as the reason for its decision.
Trump’ s remarks have heightened tensions, with concerns growing that hostilities may resume if his ultimatum is not met. Arab nations, including Egypt and Jordan, have warned that any forced transfer of Palestinians could inflame regional instability.
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Despite the backlash, Trump stood by his redevelopment plan, likening it to a real estate project. ” I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent, ” he said.
With the Saturday deadline looming, the situation remains tense. Whether Hamas will comply with Trump’ s ultimatum or if the ceasefire will collapse remains to be seen, but the region faces growing uncertainty.