President Donald Trump said if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and ‘let all hell break out.’
Trump made the comments after signing executive orders in the Oval Office Monday evening.
When asked if he felt the ceasefire deal should be canceled, the president said that is ‘Israel’s decision.’
‘If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,’ Trump said in the Oval Office. ‘Let all hell break out; Israel can override it.’
Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release ‘all of them—not in drips and drabs.’
‘Saturday at 12pm and after that, I would say, all hell is going to break loose,’ Trump said.
A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.
‘Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy’s violations and failure to fulfill its obligations under the agreement; including the delay in allowing the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with direct shelling and gunfire in various areas across Gaza, and denying relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed, while the resistance has implemented all its obligations,’ Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said.
‘Therefore, the release of the Zionist prisoners next Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and provides compensation for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively,’ he said. ‘We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement, as long as the occupation remains committed to them.’
Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
‘Hamas’ announcement to stop the release of Israeli hostages is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and the hostage release deal,’ Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday. ‘I have instructed the [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF to maintain the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to fortify the defense of Israeli communities. We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7.’
Hamas released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages – civilians Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 – on Saturday after forcing them to speak at a handover ceremony. Israel in turn freed 183 Palestinian prisoners that day.
On Sunday, Trump commented on the conditions of the released Israeli hostages, saying they ‘looked like Holocaust survivors’ and ‘like they haven’t had a meal in a month.’
‘I don’t know how much longer we can take that,’ Trump said, referring to the treatment of the hostages, adding, ‘You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.’
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace, Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
