President Donald Trump threatened Hamas after the militant group paused plans to release more of the Israeli hostages it holds this weekend, telling reporters that “all hell is going to break out” if all of the Israeli hostages held by the group aren’t freed.
“As far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 o'clock – I think it's an appropriate time – I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,” he said.
“I'd say they ought to be returned by 12 o'clock on Saturday. And if they're not returned – all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two – by Saturday at 12 o'clock. And after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out,” Trump added.
Trump made the declaration as he addressed reporters during a marathon signing session in the Oval Office on Monday.
He also said the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas should be tossed out if the militant group doesn’t live up to its obligation to release hostages under phase one of the agreement, but he also said it’s up to Israel whether to throw the agreement out.
“Saturday at 12, we want them all back. I'm speaking for myself. Israel can override it, but from myself, Saturday at 12 o'clock, and if they're not, they're not here, all hell is going to break out,” he said.
Asked what he meant by “all hell will break out,” he replied: “You’ll find out, and they’ll find out to. Hamas will find out what I mean.”
He also said “we’ll see what happens” when pressed further on whether he’d send U.S. troops to fight Hamas if the Saturday deadline wasn’t met.
The president’s threats to Hamas were prompted by him being asked to weigh in on the condition of some of the hostages who were released by the militant group over the weekend.
He said the gaunt condition of several of the male hostages — which some observers have likened to that of Holocaust survivors — was “a terrible look” and suggested that Hamas had pushed to delay the release of the next round of hostages because their conditions were so shocking.
“I looked at the hostages that came in, and they're emaciated. It looked like something out of the 1930s. It’s an absolute disgrace ... I think they saw the way the world viewed it, and they're looking for a reason not to send more” because “they looked [like] the Holocaust. And what a sad thing,” he said.
