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Journalism of Courage
US President-elect Donald Trump has demanded that the hostages captured by the Gaza based militant group Hamas in its attack on Israel last year be returned before his inauguration in January, or there will be “hell to pay” in the Middle East for those responsible.
Reiterating his support for Israel and without naming any militant group, Trump in a post on Truth Social said that “If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity.”
About 250 hostages were captured by the Hamas militants from Israel during their surprise attack on the country on October 7, 2023, and around 100 of them still remain in captivity in Gaza. According to Israeli authorities, a third of the hostages are believed to be dead.
Israel’s president Isaac Herzog reacted to Trump’s post and said, “Thank you and bless you Mr. President-elect. We all pray for the moment we see our sisters and brothers back home!”
President Joe Biden’s administration, which was able to broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon based Hezbollah militant group, has been working since last year with Israel and other mediators, including Qatar and Egypt for a truce deal with Hamas, which will include the release of all hostages.
Trump, in his post further added that “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!”
In November last year, there appeared to be a brief pause in the hostilities between Israel and Hamas when 105 hostages were released by the militant group and about 240 Palestinians were released from Israel.
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