US President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, September 5, that Washington is in “very deep” negotiations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and called on them to release all Israeli hostages held in Gaza, warning that the situation could be difficult if they are held, Reuters reported.
“We are in very deep negotiations with Hamas,” President Trump told reporters, according to Reuters, and he warned that the situation would be “tough” and “nasty” if Hamas continued to hold Israelis hostage.
“We said let them all out, right now let them all out. And much better things will happen for them but if you don’t let them all out, it’s going to be a tough situation, it’s going to be nasty,” the president said. And Trump added that Hamas was “asking for some things that are fine.”
Palestinian militants took more than 250 people hostage in Gaza after a deadly surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killed nearly 1,200 people, Reuters reported, citing Israeli figures.
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The IDF launched an offensive in Gaza in retaliation for the killing and hostage-taking of Israeli civilians by Hamas, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people. The attack internally displaced the entire population of Gaza and led to international courts and rights groups accusing Israel of genocide and war crimes. Israel denies these charges.
Trump promised a quick end to the war in Gaza during his presidential campaign and after he came to power, but a solution remains elusive.