President Donald Trump threatened that “all hell is going to break out” if the Palestinian militant group Hamas didn’t release “all” remaining hostages from Israel amid reports that its ceasefire was faltering on Monday (February 10).
“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” the ceasefire, Trump told reporters, though not specifying if he meant midnight or noon at the time, via NBC News.
The president then responded, “Hamas will find out what I mean,” when asked to specify what he meant by “hell” in a clip of a statement made during a taped interview with FOX News‘ Bret Baier that was released on Monday.
Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip was paused after the two sides reached a complex ceasefire agreement allowing the release of dozens of hostages held by the terrorist group since the initial attacks on a music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israeli authorities. Hamas, however, said it was indefinitely postponing the next hostage-prisoner swap Saturday (February 8) after accusing Israel of continuing to shoot at Palestinians, as well as stopping them from regaining access to the northern part of the Gaza strip and delaying access to medical supplies and shelter.
Three more hostages were scheduled to be freed from Gaza prior to the change, which led to Trump demanding all 76 remaining captives, including 44 suspected to still be alive, be released. An estimated 48,000 Gazans have been killed in the paused war, which stemmed from an incident in which more than 1,200 people were killed and 250 kidnapped during a Hamas-orchestrated attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
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