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US President-elect Donald Trump warned on Monday that there would be “hell to pay in the Middle East” if Hamas did not release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza before he takes office in January.
Trump’s comments came as Joe Biden’s administration makes a final push for a hostage ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas following last week’s success in mediation the end of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
If the hostages are not released by January 20, 2025, when he takes office, “there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East,” Trump he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He added: “For those responsible who committed these crimes against humanity, those responsible will be hit harder than anyone has been hit in the long and known history of the United States of America.”
It was not clear whether Trump was referring to US military action or other punishments, and his campaign did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
US efforts to broker an agreement to end the conflict and secure the release of the remaining hostages have failed for more than a year. Many diplomats predict that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will wait until after the US election before reaching a deal.
Trump’s signal that he wants to see an agreement reached before he takes office could give new momentum to the talks.
US officials said Israeli officials have shown more openness to discussions in recent days and that Lebanese ceasefire it created new opportunities for diplomacy.
Ron Dermer, a senior adviser to Netanyahu, was in Washington on Monday for meetings with Biden administration officials and will head to Florida to discuss the deal with Trump campaign officials, people familiar with the matter said.
101 hostages remain in Gaza, about half of whom are believed to be dead. Trump’s announcement came hours after Israel confirmed that Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra, a soldier, had been killed on October 7, 2023. He was previously believed to be alive.
More than 44,000 Palestinians were killed during Israel’s fierce retaliation for a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages during the attack, according to Israeli officials.
Under Trump, the US approach to the Middle East is expected to place greater emphasis on dealing with Iran. The president-elect’s team is also expected to redouble efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. A cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Israel would free his administration to focus on those priorities.
Biden discussed the ceasefire talks with Trump when they met in the Oval Office last month. The president’s officials also briefed members of Trump’s team, including appointees Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, and Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy, about the talks.
