President-elect Trump on Monday threatened to unleash “hell” in the Middle East if hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are not released before his inauguration Jan. 20, underscoring urgency to President Biden’s efforts to secure a hostage release and ceasefire deal in his final months in office.
In a post on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump demanded the hostages be released before his inauguration or that there will be “ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East” against the perpetrators.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!,” he wrote in the post.
The president-elect’s statement follows confirmation Monday that American Israeli Omer Neutra, who was believed to be alive and held hostage in Gaza, was killed during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack but that his body has been held captive by the U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!,” Trump wrote.
Biden has committed to renewing diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas before leaving office. The administration has said Hamas is the main obstacle to achieving a ceasefire deal, but critics of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blame him for rejecting proposals to draw down Israel’s military presence in the Gaza Strip.
In September, Biden said Netanyahu was not doing enough to achieve a deal to bring the hostages home.
In a statement reacting to Neutra’s confirmed death, Biden said, “And to all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong.”
Neutra, from Long Island, N.Y., was a volunteer in the Israeli military and was serving as a tank commander on the border near Gaza when Hamas launched its attack. His parents Ronen and Orna Neutra became one of the most outspoken family members of hostages held by Hamas, addressing the Republican National Convention advocating for their son’s release.
Neutra is one of 101 hostages, including seven Americans, held by Hamas for more than a year. On Saturday, Hamas released a propaganda video showing American Israeli Edan Alexander alive but warning that “time is running out” to secure his release.
In the video, made under duress, Alexander calls for Trump to “use your influence and the full power of the United States to negotiate our freedom.” Alexander also said he doesn’t want to end up dead like fellow American Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed by Hamas in late August as Israeli soldiers closed in on where he and other hostages were being held.
“Seeing my son alive for the first time in over a year gave us hope but reignited our urgency,” Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, said at a rally in New York on Sunday.
“Edan’s haunting words — ‘Every day here feels like an eternity’ — demand action. President Biden, President-elect Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu: This is a moment for courage, collaboration and decisive action. Strength means nothing without action.”
