Italian
The former US president threatens the terrorist group Hamas, while Washington initiates direct talks for the release of the hostages
WASHINGTON (USA). Donald Trump has issued a new ultimatum to Hamas, demanding the group to “immediately release all hostages, no more later, and immediately return all the bodies of the people you killed, or it will be OVER for you.”
“‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye,” he wrote in a post on social media on Wednesday, in an apparent reference to the start of direct negotiations with the group.
The post arrived just hours after the White House confirmed that the United States had initiated direct negotiations with Hamas, potentially to bypass Israel and secure the release of the American hostages still detained.
It is also followed by a meeting at the White House between the President of the United States and a group of hostages recently released as part of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Hamas still holds 59 hostages, although Israeli intelligence believes that only 22 are still alive.
It is believed that Hamas is still holding five Americans, including Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old boy who is presumed to still be alive.
Trump reiterated his support for Israel and referred to a recent decision to provide billions of dollars in aid for Israeli military supplies.
“I am sending to Israel everything it needs to complete the job, no member of Hamas will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” Trump wrote.
“This is your final warning! For the leadership, it is time to leave Gaza while you have the chance,” he added. “Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR HELL WILL BREAK LOOSE LATER!”
Trump also clarified that there could be consequences for Gaza as a whole, where almost the entire population has been displaced by the Israeli offensive in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
“To the citizens of Gaza: a great future awaits you, but not if you hold hostages. If you do, YOU’RE DEAD!”
Trump’s statements came just hours after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that U.S. officials had been engaged in “talks and ongoing discussions” with Hamas as part of a fragile ceasefire agreement.
Leavitt told reporters that Israel had been consulted on the talks and that US special envoy Adam Boehler “has the authority to speak with anyone” when “American lives are at stake.”
Hamas confirmed the talks, stating that in recent days two direct meetings had taken place between US officials and Hamas members in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
“There have been several communications between Hamas and various American channels, the latest with a US envoy, and the issue of Israeli prisoners with American citizenship, both alive and deceased, was discussed,” a Hamas official told AFP.
Israel stated that it has conveyed its position on direct talks with Hamas to the United States, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released Wednesday evening, without providing further details.
“Israel has expressed its position to the United States regarding direct talks with Hamas,” the statement from the prime minister’s office said.
“Engaging and speaking with people around the world in the interest of the American people is something the president considers a good faith commitment to do what is right for the American people,” Leavitt said.
Axios was the first to report the news of these “secret talks” with Hamas, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the meetings that took place in Doha, Qatar, in recent weeks.
The website defined these talks as “unprecedented,” emphasizing that the United States had never directly engaged with Hamas and has considered the group a terrorist organization since 1997.
According to the terms of the hostage-for-ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on January 19, Hamas was supposed to release hostages weekly in exchange for the liberation of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
After six weeks, Israel and Hamas were supposed to begin a second phase of negotiations, which would have made the ceasefire permanent and ensured the release of the remaining hostages.
However, the talks have not made progress, and the White House’s decision to initiate direct negotiations with Hamas appears to be aimed at fulfilling Trump’s objective of securing the release of all hostages still held in Gaza.
Trump has already warned that if the hostages are not released, there will be “hell to pay” in the region, in an apparent direct warning specifically to Hamas.
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, also pressured Netanyahu to advance the negotiations and was instrumental in convincing the Israeli prime minister to sign the original ceasefire agreement that came into effect in January.
Boehler is tasked with securing the release of Americans “unjustly detained” by governments or other groups worldwide. However, it is unclear whether he is handling the release of these hostages as part of a long-term truce, which would signify a significant increase in his authority and suggest that the United States might bypass Israel to negotiate an end to the war.
Witkoff, Trump’s envoy who had negotiated the previous ceasefire and is now also tasked with negotiations with Russia, was supposed to travel to Doha at the beginning of the week to meet with the Prime Minister of Qatar regarding ceasefire negotiations. However, according to a U.S. official quoted by Axios, “he canceled the trip on Tuesday night after seeing that there was no progress from Hamas.”
