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President Donald Trump demanded that Hamas release Israeli hostages by noon on Saturday or there would be consequences.
The president shared the remarks after signing executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday.
“As far as I’m concerned if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock — I think it’s an appropriate time — I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,” Trump said.
“I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday. And if they’re not returned — all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two — by Saturday at 12 o’clock. And after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out,” he continued.
Trump also clarified that he was speaking for himself and that Israel could make its own decisions.
The president previously said “all hell will break out” if the hostages were not released when he returned to the White House. When asked what he meant, Trump responded, “You’ll find out, and they’ll find out too. Hamas will find out what I mean.”
The words on Monday came after reports that Hamas has decided not to release more hostages this week as previously agreed, claiming that Israel was not following the terms of the ceasefire.
As RSBN previously reported, the first American-Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza was released last month as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel. Keith Siegel, 65, was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, and spent over a year in captivity.
Trump also previously celebrated the release of the first three female hostages the day before his inauguration in a Truth Social post.
“Hostages starting to come out today! Three wonderful young women will be first,” he wrote.
Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher reunited with their families after being abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, and held for 471 days.
The family of Doron Steinbrecher thanked the people of Israel and Trump for her release.
“After an unbearable 471 days, our beloved Dodo has finally returned to our arms. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and accompanied us along this journey,” the family said in a statement released through the Hostages and Missing Families’ Forum.
“A special thank you to the people of Israel for their warm embrace, unwavering support, and the strength they gave us during our darkest moments. We also extend our gratitude to President Trump for his significant involvement and support, which meant so much to us,” the statement continued.