President Donald Trump said Israel should break its ceasefire with Hamas if the group doesn't release all hostages by Saturday.
Speaking to reporters on Monday night, Trump said that Israel should "let hell break out" if Hamas doesn't return all hostages. He delivered his threat after Hamas threatened to postpone further hostage releases, claiming that Israel had violated the ceasefire.
“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. "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."
“Saturday at 12, we want them all back. I'm speaking for myself. Israel can override it, but from myself, Saturday at 12 o'clock, and if they're not, they're not here, all hell is going to break out,” he added.
The president said that if Hamas stopped its release of the hostages, the war would turn into "a different ball game."
Trump remained vague on the details, avoiding specifying if he was referring to retaliation from Israel.
“You’ll find out, and they’ll find out too. Hamas will find out what I mean,” he said.
After he was asked if he would rule out any U.S. involvement after the deadline, he responded, “We’ll see what happens.”
Trump also went into more detail regarding his plan to resettle Gazans elsewhere, threatening to withhold funding from Jordan and Egypt if they don't take in Palestinian refugees.
Trump's remarks last week that the U.S. would take over Gaza has spurred global confusion, with regional Arab governments scrambling to find a solution. National Security adviser Mike Waltz suggested that his statements were a move to push Arab governments to find a solution.
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“Come to the table with your plan if you don’t like his plan,” he said in an appearance on NBC News's Meet the Press, adding that the White House has received “all kinds of outreach” since the remarks.
The six-week ceasefire, which began the day before Trump took office, looks more fragile than ever, with Israel and Hamas questioning its veracity.
