Trump to Hamas: “They will pay dearly” if they do not release returns from Gaza
The US president-elect said that if the Israeli hostages are not released before January 20, the day he takes office, he will take drastic measures.
US President-elect Donald Trump warned Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip on Monday (02.12.2024) that they will "pay dearly" if the hostages are not released before his inauguration.
"If the hostages are not released by January 20, 2025, the date I will proudly assume the office of President of the United States, they will pay dearly in the Middle East and those who perpetrated these atrocities against humanity," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"Those responsible will be hit harder than anyone in the long and storied history of the United States of America. FREE THE HOSTAGES NOW!" he added.
Trump has promised firm support for Israel, which Biden has also backed although with occasional criticism of the way Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu carries out his military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, considered a terrorist group by the European Union and several countries, carried out the deadliest attack ever perpetrated against Israel, which left 1,208 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.
The militants took 251 hostages during the attack, some of whom were already dead. Of these, 97 are still being held in Gaza, including 35 who the army believes to be dead.
Meanwhile, Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed 44,429 people in Gaza, according to figures from the territory's Ministry of Health that the UN considers reliable.
ct (afp, efe)
