Trump Issues Warning to Hamas Amid Hostage Release
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump delivered a firm message to Hamas, stating that if the group does not disarm, “we will disarm them.” This statement came during a meeting with Argentinian President Javier Milei at the White House.
Trump’s comments followed the release of 20 hostages who had been held by Hamas for nearly 740 days. However, the fate of 28 deceased hostages remains uncertain, with most not yet returned.
Hamas had previously agreed to return all surviving and deceased hostages within 72 hours after reaching a deal with Israel. This timeframe began on Saturday and ended on Monday. However, Hamas indicated that they might struggle to locate all bodies, prompting the formation of an international task force over the weekend to assist in this effort.
“Getting the hostages back is our priority,” Trump emphasized. He criticized Hamas for not being clear about the number of bodies they could recover, suggesting they had misled about their capabilities.
While Trump did not detail how he would take action to disarm Hamas, he has expressed support for Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip if the terrorist group fails to cooperate. The disarmament phase was expected to follow the completion of the hostage return process.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated, “All 20 hostages are back and feeling as good as can be expected. A big burden has been lifted, but the job is not done. The dead have not been returned as promised! Phase two begins right now!”
Once Hamas disarms, Israel’s military is also expected to make further withdrawals from the region.
