'Last warning': Trump again threatens Hamas with 'hell to pay'
FILE-President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House on February 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump issued what he called his "last warning" to Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Wednesday that if all the hostages aren’t released "there will be hell to pay later." His latest message marks the second time he's used this type of rhetoric aimed at Hamas.
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The FDD's Ben Cohen joins LiveNOW's Andrew Craft to examine the current state of ceasefire talks related to the Israel-Hamas war.
This message comes after the White House said Wednesday that U.S. officials have engaged in "ongoing talks and discussions" with Hamas officials, stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not directly engaging in the militant group, according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s warning to Hamas
What they're saying:
"Shalom Hamas" means Hello and Goodbye - You can choose. 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. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say. I have just met with your former Hostages whose lives you have destroyed. This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!"
Trump makes similar warning to Hamas before
Dig deeper:
In December 2024, a month before he returned to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump issued a similar warning on social media as he called for the release of Israeli hostages.
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""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," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. "Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!"
Where do things stand with the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?
Big picture view:
According to the Associated Press, Israeli officials say about 24 living hostages — including Edan Alexander, an American citizen — and the bodies of at least 35 others are believed to still be held in Gaza.
The White House told the AP Wednesday that U.S. officials have engaged in "ongoing talks and discussions" with Hamas officials, stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not directly engaging in the militant group.
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Confirmation of the talks in the Qatari capital of Doha comes as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is still uncertain. The AP reported that this is the first known direct engagement between the U.S. and Hamas.
The discussions, which occurred in January, focused on the release of American hostages, and a possible end of the war without Hamas in power in Gaza, a Hamas official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity explained to the AP.
The officials also told the AP that no progress has been made but "the step itself is promising" and more talks are expected. Egyptian and Qatari mediators helped arrange the talks.
The hostage crisis in Gaza
The backstory:
The hostage situation started during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel. Militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took approximately 250 hostages into Gaza. Israeli officials estimate that about 100 hostages are still in captivity, with two-thirds believed to be alive.
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Donald Trump’s ultimatum followed reports of the death of Omer Neutra, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen whose body remains in Gaza, and a hostage video of Israeli soldier Edan Alexander filmed under apparent duress. In the video, Alexander called on Trump to work toward securing the hostages' freedom.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by President Donald Trump’s Truth social platform, the Associated Press, who received comments from a Hamas official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, and previous LIVENOW from FOX reporting. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.