US President-elect Donald Trump has issued an apparent warning to Hamas, threatening “all hell to pay” if hostages held in Gaza are not released by the time he returns to the White House on 20 January.
Dozens of people taken during the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack remain unaccounted for. On Monday, the Israeli military said an Israeli-American soldier who it believed to be a captive had in fact been killed last October.
Without mentioning Hamas by name, Trump posted online the same day: “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied history of the United States of America.”
Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his “strong statement”.
Trump has generally spoken of ending foreign conflicts, and of reducing US involvement.
He has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of Israel during its campaign in Gaza, but has urged the American ally to end its military operation.
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel in 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Tens of thousands of others have been injured and much of the Palestinian enclave is in ruins.
On Monday, Israel attributed a new death to the 2023 assault by Hamas – saying Israeli-American soldier Omer Neutra was killed that day, and his body taken to Gaza. He was previously believed to have been in captivity but alive.
US President Joe Biden was among those who paid tribute to the 21-year-old, saying he was “devastated and outraged” at Neutra’s death.
In recent days, Hamas also released a video purporting to show another Israeli-American caught up in the attacks, hostage Edan Alexander.
In the clip, in which he appears distressed, the man calls on Trump and Netanyahu to negotiate for his freedom.
Monday’s Truth Social post by Trump gave few specifics, but appeared to refer to the hostages still held captive in Gaza by Hamas.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire world, in the Middle East – but it’s all talk, and no action!” he wrote.
He went on to say: “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.”
The 20 January date refers to Trump’s inauguration, following his win in last month’s US presidential election.
His post continued: “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 response, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters that Netanyahu had sabotaged all efforts to secure a deal that involved exchanging the hostages for Palestinians prisoners held by Israel.
“Therefore, we understand [Trump’s] message is directed first at Netanyahu and his government to end this evil game,” he told the news agency.
Netanyahu said Trump’s message was aimed at the “responsibility of Hamas” to release the hostages, and said the president-elect’s comment “adds another force to our continued effort to release all the hostages”.
His words echoed comments made during July’s Republican National Convention, when he threatened a “very big price” if hostages were not returned.
During the recent election campaign, Trump presented himself as the anti-war candidate, suggesting for example that he could end the conflict in Ukraine “in a day”.
A ceasefire in a linked conflict in Lebanon – between Israel and Hezbollah, a group allied to Hamas – came into effect last week, but has been threatened by fire from both sides.
After the Lebanon ceasefire was agreed, the US said it would make another push with regional powers for a ceasefire in Gaza, involving the release of hostages and the removal of Hamas from power.
Updating reporters on Monday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters: “The main stumbling block continues to be Hamas.”