US President-elect Donald Trump has warned that if people held by Hamas are not released by Inauguration Day, there will be “catastrophe in the Middle East.” Trump did not say what action he would take if the hostages were not released by the time he took office.
Officials say about 100 hostages, including some Americans captured on October 7, 2023, are still held in Gaza, although they believe many of them may have died in captivity.
“Everything is going to get worse. I don’t want to hurt your negotiations if those hostages don’t come back by the time I take office,” Trump told reporters at a news conference in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. If he comes, everything will go wrong in the Middle East.”
Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20.
He was responding to a question on the status of talks with Hamas on the release of American hostages. His special envoy to the Middle East, Steven Charles Witkoff, who has just returned from the region, told reporters that they were on the brink of it.
Witkoff said, “I believe we’re on the verge of it. I don’t want to discuss what caused the delay, there’s no point in being negative in any way. But I think it’s the President “His stature, what he has said about what he wants, the red lines he has drawn, that is what is driving this dialogue forward.”
He said they were making a lot of progress, “I don’t want to say too much because I think they’re doing a really good job in Doha. I’m going back to Doha tomorrow. But I think we’ve made really good progress.” And I am hopeful that by the time he is sworn in we will have some good things to announce from the President.”
Witkoff said, “I really believe we’re working very well together, but it’s the president, his reputation, the things he’s said that are driving this negotiation forward. So hopefully everything will work out.” It will be fine and we will be able to save some lives.”
Talks between Hamas and Israel continue in Qatar, this week Hamas has revealed the names of 34 hostages in Gaza, including two American citizens – Hamas is ready to release them under the ceasefire agreement, National Public Radio reported. told.
Responding to a question, Trump warned Hamas to release all hostages by January 20.
He said, “It won’t be good for Hamas and, frankly, it won’t be good for anyone. Everything will be ruined. I don’t need to say anything else, but that’s what will happen. Return them back a long time ago.” The October 7 attack should never have happened. People forget it, but it happened and many people were killed.”
He said, “They are no longer hostages. People from Israel and other places are calling me, begging me to bring them back. We also have people coming from America. They have captured some so-called hostages from America But mothers and fathers have come to me crying, can I bring back their son’s body? Can I bring back their daughter’s body?”
He praised his Special Envoy for the progress made so far, saying, “They threw that beautiful girl in the car, pulled her braids and threw her in the car like she was a sack of potatoes. I asked, what did she do? “Sir, she’s dead. The way they treated her.”
Trump said, “I am saying this, I do not want to harm the negotiations. If a deal is not reached before I take office, which is going to be two weeks, there will be a lot of chaos in the Middle East.”
The Biden administration has tried unsuccessfully for more than a year to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. Dozens of hostages were freed in the first ceasefire reached a few weeks after the October 7 attack, but subsequent efforts to stop the fighting and secure the release of additional hostages have proven futile.
