As the second anniversary of the massacre of civilians at the hands of Hamas looms, President Donald Trump said some of the 20 hostages who remained alive after the Oct. 7, 2023, slaughter may have died recently.
Trump said that negotiators are trying to get the hostages out while some remain alive.
“We’re in very deep negotiations with Hamas. We said, ‘Let ’em all out, right now, let ’em all out, and much better things will happen,'” Trump said, according to the Times of Israel.
If the hostages remain in Gaza, “it’s going to be a tough situation, it’s going to be nasty … Israel’s choice, but that’s my opinion,” Trump said.
According to Haaretz, Hamas is believed to hold the bodies of 38 dead hostages, and the last official estimate of those left alive was at 20.
“It’s 20 people, but of the 20, there could be some that recently died, is what I’m hearing. I hope that’s wrong,” Trump said, per the Times of Israel.
Trump spoke about the families of “young beautiful dead people,” noting that the dead hostages’ families “want them every bit as much — almost more — than as if their son or daughter were alive. But you have many dead people that are coming out as part of the deal.”
In speaking of talks to free those hostages that remain, Trump named Jared Kushner, who is Ivanka Trump’s husband and served as a Middle East negotiator during Trump’s first term.
“I was the one who, myself and my people, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner was great on this — but they got a lot of people out,” Trump said.
“I always said when you get down to the final 10 or 20, you’re not going to get them out unless you’re going to do a lot. And doing a lot means capitulation, that’s no good either.
“It’s a very tough situation,” he said, noting that “people forget October 7” and that “you have to put that into the equation very strongly.”
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order allowing nations to be designated as sponsors of wrongful detention, which would trigger sanctions against those nations.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum thanked Trump and negotiator Steve Witkoff “for their unwavering determination, courage and compassion” in advancing the hostage-ceasefire talks.
“We offer special thanks to President Trump, who is making every effort to fulfill his promise to bring them home. We pray this will happen soon,” the Forum said in a statement.
The statement praised Trump’s order.
“President Trump demonstrates that true leadership is measured by bold decisions. We are grateful for his recent executive order that sends a clear message to the world that hostage-taking is fundamentally wrong and will not be tolerated by the U.S. administration,” the statement said.
Trump comments came a day before Israel’s Saturday demolition of a high-rise building in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, one day after demolishing a similar one as Israel moves forward with its plan to take over Gaza City, according to the Times of Israel.
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