DONALD Trump has issued an ultimatum to Hamas if they do not release the hostages by the time he takes office.
The President-elect shared the extraordinary threat and said there would be “all hell to pay” in the Middle East.
Trump took to Truth Social to share his “action” on the issue, before he has even taken his seat at The White House.
He expressed his frustration, stating that people are talking about the hostages being held in inhuman conditions against the will of the world but there is no real action being taken.
Trump gave a deadline to his threat but did not share what he would do if hostages were not released by then.
Additionally, he issued a strong warning that if the hostages are not released before January 20, 2025, the date he assumes the presidency, severe consequences will follow in the Middle East.
He also made a threat to “those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity.”
The President-elect did not name Hamas or any other terror group of government holding hostages.
A total of 251 hostages were snatched and taken into Gaza and 63 are believed to still be in captivity.
Four Americans are thought to be among those still alive and three bodies have been held in Gaza.
Trump’s raging threats demanded the immediate release of those held in captivity.
He added: “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!”
These statements from Trump came shortly after the Israeli government announced the tragic confirmation of the death of a dual US-Israeli citizen and hostage named Omer Neutra.
The 21-year-old from New York was believed to have been taken on the October 7 attack.
His parents campaigned relentlessly for his release from Hamas but they were told he had died over a year ago.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara honored Omer in a statement.
Netanyahu said: “Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every sense of the word.
“He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the IDF, chose a combat path and was chosen to command and lead.”
Two days earlier, Hamas released a distressing hostage video of Edan Alexander, who was serving in the Israeli military when he was taken to Gaza.
This video has been the first of its kind shared in months.
The 20-year-old appeared in the undated video and said he had been held in captivity for 420 days, which means the video would have been filmed last week.
Edan called on Trump to work on negotiating his freedom and that of the other Hamas hostages.
The hostage’s mother, Yael Alexander, said Edan “represents all the living hostages who cannot make their voices heard, and this voice needs to reverberate and shake everyone!”
MONETARY REWARD
This comes days after Israel confirmed it would offer more than $300 million for the safe return of hostages still in Gaza.
Netanyahu said Palestinians in Gaza who helped recover the 63 captives would be paid $5 million for each person returned without harm.
He said: “Whoever brings us a hostage will find a safe way out for himself and his family.”
The Israeli leader also issued a chilling warning, during a visit to the Strip with new defence minister Israel Katz on November 20, to those keeping hostages captive.
He added: “Whoever dares to harm our hostages will pay the price.
“We will pursue you and we will find you.”
