President Trump has directly warned Hamas militants to immediately release all the hostages held in Gaza or face death.
In a blistering social media post on Wednesday, Mr. Trump addressed Hamas militants and built on a statement he made in his address to Congress the night before, when he said his administration was “bringing back our hostages from Gaza,” without providing details.
“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,” he posted on Truth Social on Wednesday.
It was the latest example of Mr. Trump’s use of threats to try to cut through obstacles to a desired political objective. Even as he warned the militant group, officials said that the United States and Hamas had held direct talks in Qatar about the hostages, sidestepping separate negotiations involving Hamas and Israel over the terms of the next phase of a cease-fire in Gaza.
The Israeli government has said that about 25 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others are still in Gaza. Mr. Trump, who has directed strong threats at their captors before, said the militants were “sick and twisted” for keeping bodies.
“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,” Mr. Trump wrote.
“This is your last warning,” he went on, adding that if the group continued to hold hostages, “you are DEAD!”
Hamas said in a post on the Telegram app that Mr. Trump’s statement would complicate efforts to negotiate the second phase of its cease-fire agreement with Israel, and would make it easier for the Israeli government not to meet its obligations under the deal. Israel and Hamas are at a deadlock over the second phase, which aims to reach a comprehensive truce that would end the war and free the remaining living hostages.
Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups seized around 250 hostages during the deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that set off the war in Gaza. The Palestinian authorities say more than 45,000 Gazans have been killed in the conflict. Military experts say that while Israel’s military campaign has weakened Hamas, the group still holds power in Gaza.
More than 100 hostages were released during a truce in late 2023, and 30 others — along with the bodies of eight people seized in the attack — were returned during a second cease-fire that began in January. Under the terms of both cease-fires, Israel has released hundreds of Palestinian detainees in exchange.
Mr. Trump’s post made no mention of a prisoner exchange, and he gave no details of the military aid he said he was sending to Israel. But in one possible indication of the administration’s approach, Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week invoked “emergency authorities” to bypass Congress and send $4 billion in weapons to Israel. It was the second time in a month that the administration had skirted the process of congressional approval for sending arms to the country.
