Washington DC [US]: Former US President Donald Trump has called on Israel to terminate its ceasefire in Gaza and resume military action if all hostages are not released by the end of the week, as reported by Times of Israel.
Trump’s remarks came after Hamas announced a delay in the scheduled release of hostages on Saturday. Speaking to reporters, he suggested that Israel might ignore his ultimatum but indicated he may discuss the situation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“As far as I am 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. I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday,” Trump stated.
His comments followed Hamas’ declaration that the release of Israeli hostages, initially scheduled for Saturday, would be postponed “until further notice.” The group claimed Israeli violations of the ongoing hostage-ceasefire deal as the reason for the delay, according to Times of Israel.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, accused Israel of failing to meet the agreement’s obligations.
“The handover of the hostages who were scheduled to be released next Saturday … will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively,” Obeida stated, as reported by CNN.
Hamas later issued another statement suggesting that the delay was a “warning” to Israel and that the planned release could still proceed if Israel “fully honored” the ceasefire terms.
“By issuing this statement five full days ahead of the scheduled prisoner handover, Hamas aims to grant mediators sufficient time to pressure the occupation to fulfill its obligations. This also leaves the door open for the exchange to proceed as planned, provided the occupation complies,” Hamas stated, per CNN.
On Monday, Trump also compared the condition of released hostages to Holocaust survivors, as seen in a White House video.
“Hamas has been a disaster. By the way, I have to tell you that I watched the hostages come back today and they looked like Holocaust survivors. They were in horrible condition. They were emaciated,” Trump said.
He further commented on the hostages’ condition:
“…They have been treated brutally, horribly. Even the ones that came out earlier, they were in a little bit better shape, but mentally they were treated so badly. Who could take that? You know, at some point we’re going to lose our patience. When I see that scene that I saw today with people coming out of helicopters and airplanes that are emaciated, that look like they haven’t had a meal in a month. No reason for that.”
The situation continues to evolve as diplomatic efforts to mediate the crisis remain ongoing.