Washington, Feb 11 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Monday said “all hell will break out” if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages by Saturday 12 o’clock.
“Hamas will find out what I mean,” he said in response to a question about the nature of the retaliation to Hamas’s failure to deliver at a news briefing in the Oval Office, which is increasingly becoming the norm.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, 73 are still in their custody; Israel has declared 34 of them to be dead. The rest have been released as part of a six-week ceasefire in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody of other deals.
The last bunch — of these hostages — were released by Hamas last Saturday in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners.
The condition of the freed hostages was described as “shocking” by Israel.
President Trump said in the news briefing that the hostages looked as if they “came out of the Holocaust”.
He went on to say these hostages were probably in the best condition compared to the rest and that’s why they were released by Hamas, because the others are “not going to make them look very good”.
Trump then issued the Saturday deadline.
“If all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock,” he said, “all bets are off and let hell break out. I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday. And if they’re not returned, all of them, not in dribs and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two.”
Trump did leave room for departure from the deadline.
“I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it. But from myself, Saturday at 12 o’clock, and if they’re not, they’re not here, all hell is going to break out.”
Trump is due to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington this week.
The threat came after Egypt rejected earlier on Monday “any compromise” that would infringe on Palestinians’ rights, in a statement issued after Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with his US counterpart in Washington.
–IANS
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