Hamas said yesterday US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats against Palestinians constituted support for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back out of the Gaza ceasefire and intensify the siege of Gazans.
Trump demanded in a social media post on Wednesday that Hamas “release all of the hostages now, not later,” including the remains of dead hostages, “or it is OVER for you”.
His threats coincided with news that a Trump envoy had held secret talks with Hamas, apparently departing from a decades-old US policy of not negotiating with the Islamist Palestinian faction deemed a terrorist organisation by Washington.
“Trump’s repeated threats against our people represent support to Netanyahu to evade the agreement and tighten the siege and starvation against our people,” Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said in a text message to Reuters.
Trump made his new threats after a White House meeting on Wednesday with a group of hostages who had been released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” he said in his social media post. “Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”
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