US President Donald Trump has issued a “last warning” to Hamas to release all detainees in Gaza immediately, only hours after confirming the White House’s direct negotiations with the militant group.
“Release all of the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Trump wrote that he would send Israel “everything it needs to finish the job,” and warned that “Not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.”
The comments came just hours after the US confirmed reports that it was negotiating directly with Hamas about hostages and the Gaza ceasefire, in a move that goes against its tradition of not talking to groups it considers terrorist organizations.
It also comes as international aid and rights groups demand Israel ensure unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza, after the country stopped all aid into the enclave to pressure Hamas into accepting new terms for an extension of the ceasefire agreement.
The United States, which designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997, does not speak with terrorist organizations.
