US President-elect Donald Trump warned on Tuesday Hamas If the group fails to release all hostages by his inauguration day, January 20, “all hell will break loose in the Middle East.”
In a news conference at his Florida estate, Trump repeatedly warned of possible consequences in the Middle East and said if Hamas did not do this, it would be of no benefit to anyone, including the group.
“If they are not back by the time I take office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” he told reporters. “And it won’t be good for Hamas, and it won’t be good for anyone, frankly. All hell will break loose. I don’t need to say more, but that’s it.”
Also read: Donald Trump refuses to rule out military action over Panama Canal, Greenland will ‘rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America’
The details of Trump’s planned actions remained unclear and he gave no details about his team’s preparations before the inauguration. About 100 hostages, including American citizens, remain captive in Gaza as of October 7, 2023, although many have died, The New York Times reported.
“They never should have taken her,” Trump told reporters. “The October 7th attack should never have happened. People forget that. But he existed and a lot of people were killed.”
President Biden’s administration has tried for months to secure the release of the hostages. Despite several promising moments, the negotiations collapsed due to Hamas’ opposition and Israeli objections to the proposed agreements.
Middle East experts expressed uncertainty about Trump’s statements. Daniel Kurtzer, a former US ambassador to Israel, questioned the content of the threats. Given Israel’s extensive military campaign against Hamas over 15 months, the potential impact of further US or Israeli action remains uncertain.
Also read: ‘Snowball’s chance is in hell,’ says Trudeau as he rejects Trump’s call for a Canada-U.S. merger
Aaron David Miller, previously a State Department analyst, questioned Trump’s ability to influence both Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to reach a solution.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s designated Middle East envoy, expressed optimism about the ongoing negotiations, acknowledging cooperation with the Biden administration and attributing the progress to Trump’s influence. Witkoff mentioned plans to return to Doha for further talks.
The transition between administrations has impacted hostage negotiations, with families pushing for cooperation between Biden and Trump officials. Both teams appear to be focused on using the inauguration period to press Hamas for releases, with Biden’s team maintaining communication with Trump’s representatives about negotiation developments.