Trump's stern ultimatum: Release hostages or face severe action
"A hellish price" will have to be paid by those who still hold Israeli hostages, declared President-elect Donald Trump. He announced that if the hostages are not released by the day of his inauguration, the groups holding them will be struck "harder than anyone."
2 December 2024 16:03
"Everyone talks about the hostages who are being held so brutally, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire world in the Middle East — but it's just talk, no actions! Please, let this post serve to show that if the hostages are not released before January 20, 2025, the date on which I will proudly take office as President of the United States, those who committed these atrocities against humanity WILL PAY A HELLISH PRICE in the Middle East," Trump wrote on his profile on the Truth Social platform.
The President-elect threatened that Hamas and the groups holding the hostages will be "hit harder than anyone in the long and rich history of the United States of America."
On Monday, top advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, arrived in Washington for talks regarding the war in the Gaza Strip and the agreement on the release of the hostages. He will meet on Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and meetings with representatives of Donald Trump's team are also planned.
Biden announces another diplomatic initiative
According to Axios, in November, Dermer met with Trump himself, and on Sunday, Trump hosted the Israeli Prime Minister's wife Sara Netanyahu. According to the "Israel Hayom" newspaper, Dermer reportedly told Trump that 61 hostages held by Hamas remain alive.
Before the minister's visit, last week, President Joe Biden announced another diplomatic initiative to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and to free the hostages. The State Department announced that Blinken will express his view that a truce is needed as soon as possible, the release of hostages, and a long-term plan for the future of the Gaza Strip and the integration of Israel with its neighbours, including Saudi Arabia.
During the attack on Israel in October 2023, Palestinian Hamas terrorists killed at least 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 to the Gaza Strip.
Some hostages were freed, some were exchanged. However, over 90 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, and many of them are already deceased. On Monday, Hamas stated that a total of 33 Israeli hostages have already died in the Gaza Strip.
In November, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would pay $5 million for each hostage released from the Gaza Strip and guarantee safety to those who help achieve this. This offer did not yield results.
