Donald Trump set a Saturday deadline for all hostages to be released from Gaza, warning of severe consequences if they are not freed by 12 p.m. that day. He described Hamas’s threat to delay further hostage exchanges as “terrible” and said that, in his view, the ceasefire should be canceled if the hostages are not returned in full by then. Trump emphasized that he wanted all hostages released at once, not in small groups. He stated that while Israel could ultimately make its own decisions, if the hostages were not freed by the deadline, “all hell would break out.” He also hinted that military action could be a possibility, although he didn’t specify what that would entail.
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Trump mentioned he would likely discuss the deadline with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and also threatened to cut aid to Jordan and Egypt if they did not accept his plan for the U.S. to “take over” Gaza. In his remarks, Trump said Palestinians would not have the right to return to Gaza under his plan, suggesting they would instead receive better housing as part of the U.S. initiative. This statement followed Egypt’s rejection of a proposal to compromise on Palestinian rights, which came after a meeting between U.S. and Egyptian officials.
