US President Donald Trump was asked on Thursday about his most recent ultimatum to Hamas and said that “somebody's going to have to get a lot rougher” with the terrorist organization.
During a conversation with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked about Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s comments that if Hamas does not release hostages, the US and Israel could take some action and whether that meant military action.
“Well, you're going to find out,” Trump replied, adding, “I had the honor of spending a lot of time yesterday with quite a few of the people that we got out, and I can't believe how badly treated they were, really badly treated. Stories that you wouldn't even believe. Some of it was documented. And it's a shame.”
“Look, Biden wasn't able to get anybody out. We came along and they started releasing. But we have 59 [hostages] left, of which 24 are living. The rest are dead. And I put out a statement, it's sort of self-explanatory, I think, but somebody's going to have to get a lot rougher than they're getting. It's a shame,” Trump added.
He also noted that the freed hostages with whom he had met on Wednesday told him that those 24 hostages who are still alive are “in very bad shape.”
Trump also commented on the direct talks that his administration has had with Hamas and stated, "We are having discussions with Hamas. We are helping Israel in those discussions, because we're talking about Israeli hostages.”
Shortly after his meeting with the freed hostages, Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas, demanding that the group release all the remaining hostages immediately, “or it is over for you”.
Trump last month issued a warning to Hamas and demanded it release all the hostages or “all hell is going to break out.”
That ultimatum came after Hamas announced it would postpone a scheduled release of hostages, claiming that Israel violated the terms of the agreement.
Ultimately, Hamas issued an official announcement confirming the continuation of the ceasefire deal as was initially agreed upon.