President-elect Donald Trump on Monday told Hamas there will be “hell to pay” unless the terror group releases the rest of the hostages it kidnapped from Israel during the October 7, 2023 attacks.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” he says.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America,” the former and future president added. “RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
Israeli president Isaac Herzog expressed gratitude for the Republican leader’s message.
“Thank you and bless you Mr. President-elect @realDonaldTrump,” he posted on X. “We all pray for the moment we see our sisters and brothers back home!”
The strong statement comes just days after the Israeli government confirmed the death of IDF soldier Omer Neutra, an Israeli-American from New York.
Neutra’s parents, Ronen and Orna, addressed the hostage crisis at this year’s Republican National Convention, where they pleaded for their son’s release. They remain one of the most outspoken hostage families advocating on behalf of the captives across Israel.
“To all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you,” President Biden said in a statement on Monday. “And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong.”
Hamas released a hostage propaganda video on Saturday that featured another Israeli-American, Edan Alexander. The 20-year-old, under pressure, begged Trump to negotiate a deal to secure freedom for himself and his fellow hostages.
Neutra, Alexander, and hundreds of others were dragged into the Gaza Strip in 2023, following the notorious Hamas massacre perpetrated against Israel. The terror campaign rendered October 7 the single bloodiest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust and Israel’s deadliest day since its modern inception. Of the 250 initial hostages taken, some 100 are thought to be still alive.
Biden’s efforts, in tandem with Egyptian and Qatari interlocutors and other international actors, have yielded disappointing results in returning the hostages. Trump’s forcefulness is a welcome sign to allies who view previous negotiation tactics as too soft and futile.