Donald Trump demands Hamas free all 20 Israeli hostages: ‘Things will change rapidly’

Trump’s statements reflect his administration’s position that there will be no phased agreements or partial deals.

“No piecemeal deals; that doesn’t work,” his envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, told hostage families in a private meeting, according to audio published by the Israeli outlet Ynet. Witkoff said Washington now favours an “all or nothing” approach which stipulates that every hostage must be returned at once, or there will be no agreement at all.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now demands a comprehensive deal that secures the release of every hostage and ends the war entirely—on Israel’s terms. At the same time, he has promised to completely destroy Hamas, a goal analysts call impossible. “Netanyahu has defined success as something that is unachievable,” former US ambassador Thomas R Nides told the New York Times.

Israel’s military says it already controls more than 75 per cent of Gaza. Yet Netanyahu is pressing ahead with a massive assault on Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban area and a Hamas stronghold.

That dual strategy – talks on one hand, war on the other – has alarmed Israel’s military leadership. Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, has warned that an assault on Gaza City could endanger the remaining hostages, as well as soldiers on the ground. According to Israeli officials who briefed CNN, Zamir directly confronted Netanyahu in cabinet meetings, citing both humanitarian and strategic risks.

Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said the group had “presented everything necessary to reach a ceasefire agreement and is still ready to do so with all national responsibility and an open mind.” He accused Netanyahu of playing a “dirty game” with a “green light” from Washington.

In mid-August, Hamas accepted the latest proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a phased truce. According to a Qatari spokesperson, the deal was 98 per cent identical to the one previously proposed by the United States.

Israel has yet to respond. Instead, Netanyahu has rallied tens of thousands of reservists to prepare for the Gaza City operation. Ground troops are already advancing on the city, backed by heavy bombardment that local hospitals say killed more than 50 Palestinians in a single night.

The military has ordered residents to evacuate south but the United Nations estimates almost a million civilians remain trapped. Humanitarian officials warn that a full assault would be “beyond catastrophic,” with famine already reported in Gaza City and spreading toward the central and southern regions.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces pressure at home. Families of hostages accuse him of abandoning their loved ones. Some reservists have announced they will refuse to report for duty unless the government prioritises the captives’ release.

The broader war is colliding with another front: the occupied West Bank. Israeli officials told CNN that Netanyahu’s government is weighing annexation of parts of the territory in response to a wave of Western nations—including France, Canada, and the United Kingdom—preparing to formally recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly this month. Belgium’s deputy prime minister said his country had a “duty to prevent any risk of genocide” and would recognise Palestine once the hostages are freed.

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