Wrath of Trump
President Donald Trump vowed on Monday that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages by Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that if the hostages are not released in line with Trump’s ultimatum, the ceasefire will expire and the IDF will resume fighting until it defeats Hamas totally.
“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 told reporters at the White House as he was signing a new round of executive orders.
“I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday,” the president said. “And if they’re not returned — all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two — by Saturday at 12 o’clock. And after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out.”
After that time, Trump said, “it’s going to be a different ball game.”
Asked what “all hell will break out” means, Trump responded: “You’ll find out, and they’ll find out, too. Hamas will find out what I mean.”
“We want them all back,” Trump said. “I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”
“We all expressed outrage at the shocking state of our three hostages who were freed last Saturday,” Netanyahu said.
“Unless Hamas returns our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intensive fighting until Hamas is totally defeated,” the prime minister’s statement concluded.
Aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump observed that the three men just freed “looked like Holocaust survivors. They were in horrible condition. … I don’t know how much longer we can take that.”
The president’s comments came after Hamas said it would delay the release of hostages scheduled for Saturday “until further notice” due to alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Israel estimates that Hamas still is holding 76 hostages, including 73 abducted during the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
During the current truce, which has lasted about three weeks, Hamas released 21 hostages.
Israel’s security cabinet on Tuesday fully endorsed Trump’s demand that Hamas release all of its hostages by noon on Saturday.
“The decision I passed in the Cabinet unanimously is this: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon — the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intense combat until Hamas is decisively defeated,” Netanyahu said in a statement after the meeting.
“In light of Hamas’ announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, I instructed the IDF last night to amass forces inside and around the Gaza Strip. This operation is currently underway and will be completed as soon as possible,” he added.
The terror group accused Israel of shelling Gaza and not allowing sufficient supplies to enter the Hamas-run enclave. In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Hamas’ refusal to release the hostages would be an “outright violation of the ceasefire and that the country’s military should be prepared for the highest level of alert.”
Manwhile, as discussions continued over Trump’s statements regarding a US takeover of a depopulated Gaza, Netanyahu credited Trump for his “revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza, which we all welcomed.”
