U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Hamas, demanding the release of all remaining hostages by Saturday at noon, or he will support Israel ending the current ceasefire and taking decisive military action.
“If every hostage isn’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock—not in small numbers, but all of them—then the ceasefire should be canceled, and all bets are off,” Trump declared from the Oval Office on Monday night. However, he did not specify which time zone the deadline applies to.
Uncertain U.S. Military Involvement
While Trump did not confirm whether U.S. forces would become directly involved, he hinted at potential action. “We’ll see what happens,” he said, leaving his statement open-ended.
When pressed for details on what he meant by ‘all hell is going to break out’, the president simply responded: “You’ll find out, and Hamas will find out too.”
Trump emphasized that Israel has the final say on its course of action but reaffirmed his personal stance: “As far as I’m concerned, if they’re not back by Saturday at noon, everything changes.”
Concerns Over Hostages’ Condition
Trump also expressed concerns that many of the remaining hostages may have already died and criticized Hamas for mistreating those who have been released.
Recently freed hostages Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami, and Or Levy—who were in captivity for 16 months—were reportedly in severe malnutrition, having lost a significant amount of weight.
As tensions continue to rise, all eyes are on the approaching Saturday deadline to see how the situation unfolds.
