President-elect Donald Trump has a message for Hamas and its benefactors in Tehran: Release the hostages before Inauguration Day, or else.
In a Monday afternoon Truth Social post, Trump said that "everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World," but "it's all talk, and no action!" He went on to warn Hamas that there will be "ALL HELL TO PAY" if the remaining Israeli and American hostages, taken by the terror group on October 7, are not returned by the time he returns to the White House.
"Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that 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," he wrote.
"Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America," the president-elect went on. "RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!"
Trump's message came just hours after Israel confirmed that an American citizen who was believed to be held hostage in Gaza, Omer Maxim Neutra, was killed by Hamas during the Oct. 7 terror attack. One-hundred-one hostages remain in Hamas captivity, including at least seven American citizens, three of whom are believed to be dead.
Trump's deadline may pressure Hamas into inking a long-elusive ceasefire agreement before the president-elect takes office. The Jewish state agreed last week to a 60-day ceasefire deal with Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan arguing that the move made a Hamas ceasefire "more likely."
It's unclear, however, how long Israel's ceasefire with Lebanon will last. Israeli officials expect the fight against Hezbollah and Iran to continue once President Joe Biden leaves office, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Biden administration officials, meanwhile, are reportedly concerned that the deal could "unravel" even sooner as Hezbollah moves weapons into restricted areas in violation of the agreement, prompting Israeli strikes. Biden adviser Amos Hochstein told the Israelis that they are enforcing the ceasefire "too aggressively," one Israeli official told Axios.