In a forceful and uncompromising address to the nation, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the hostages still held by Hamas will only be returned once the group is “confronted and destroyed,” a stance he shared on his Truth Social platform and underscored with his belief that “the sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success.” Trump framed his demand as part of a results-driven strategy, reminding followers, “I negotiated and got hundreds of hostages freed and released into Israel (and America!). I was the one who ended 6 wars, in just 6 months.” further cementing his hardline posture that emphasizes military decisiveness over negotiation.
This development comes amid renewed ceasefire efforts led by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, aimed at halting months of violence in Gaza that have already cost over 62,000 lives. Yet his insistence that Hamas be eliminated before any release severely complicates these diplomatic initiatives.
Before making this ultimatum public, Trump reportedly met with a group of eight former hostages in the Oval Office on March 5, a meeting that underscored his administration’s hands-on approach to the hostage issue and set the tone for his subsequent remarks.
For its part, Hamas sharply rejected the ultimatum, denouncing it as both provocatively timed and instrumental in encouraging Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to abandon ceasefire commitments. The group reiterated its demand that hostages be released only as part of a second-phase deal, one that should include prisoner exchanges, a permanent truce, and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza under mediation by regional actors.
This escalating rhetoric comes as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens, with aid organizations and international leaders warning of potential famine and desperate shortages amid ongoing bombardments. Ceasefire proposals calling for phased hostage release and reconstruction plans, backed by a U.N. Security Council resolution last year, have so far stalled, and Trump’s hardline directive further tightens the impasse.
