‘They want to die’: Trump slams Hamas, says they did ‘not want a deal’, dismisses Macron’s recognition of Palestine

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump’s comments mirrored those of his Middle East peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, who said the US team had pulled out its negotiators from consultations following Hamas’s latest proposal.

Trump also suggested the apparent breakdown of talks on Gaza as a result of Hamas being reluctant to release the remaining hostages.

“We’re down to the last hostages,” Trump said. He added that Hamas “knows what happens when they don’t have any bargaining chips” and they would be left “with no protection”. Trump added that he has long believed that “those last 10 or 20 are going to be the toughest”.

“They’re going to have to fight,” Trump said of Israel. “They’re going to have to get them out of there.”

.@POTUS on Gaza: “When you get down to those last 20 hostages…it’s going to be very hard for Hamas to make a deal because they lose their shield…We got a lot of them out—a lot of them. We took a lot of bodies out… It was very important to the parents to get their son back.” pic.twitter.com/cBmGSmpdDu

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed the sentiment, stating: “Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal. Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home,” according to reports in Israeli media.

Ceasefire talks are expected to resume next week, the Associated Press reported, citing Hamas official Bassem Naim who said an Israeli delegation was due to leave for consultations early next week.

Separately, Trump dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to push for the recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.

“Look, he’s a different kind of a guy, he’s okay, he’s a team player pretty much. But here’s the good news: what he says doesn’t matter. It’s not going to change anything,” Trump told reporters. “He’s a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn’t carry weight.”

His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, criticised Macron’s proposal sharply on Wednesday, calling it a “reckless decision” and a “slap in the face” to victims of the 7 October Hamas attack.

In a diplomatic cable in June, the US reiterated its opposition to any unilateral moves toward recognising a Palestinian state, reaffirming its support for Israel.