Hamas Values Trump's Statement On Hostages In Gaza Directed To PM Netanyahu And The Israeli Government

The helicopter used for the release of Israeli hostages last year. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Senior Hamas officials assessed Donald Trump's remarks regarding the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, Palestine directed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government.

Trump, the President-elect of the United States, said on Monday there would be a 'harmable price' in the Middle East if the hostages detained in the Gaza Strip were not released before their inauguration next month.

It became the most assertive statement since the Republican politician was re-elected to lead Uncle Sam's country last November. The inauguration itself will take place on January 20.

"(If) the hostages are not released before January 20, 2025, the date when I proudly hold the position of President of the United States, there will be all the hell to pay in the Middle East, and for those responsible for these atrocities to Humanity," he wrote on social media.

"Those responsible will receive a heavier sentence than anyone who has ever received punishment in the long and graded history of the United States," Trump added.

In response, senior Hamas Basem Naim official said PM Netanyahu had sabotaged all attempts to secure a deal involving the exchange of hostages with Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli prisons.

"Therefore, we understand the message (Trump) was addressed first to Netanyahu and his government to end this evil game," he told Reuters.

Separately, political analyst Gaza Ramiz Moghani said Trump's threats were directed at Hamas and its Iran supporters, warning it would make Israel brave not only to expel Palestinians from the Gaza region, but also annex the nearby West Bank of Israel.

"These statements have serious implications for Israel's war on Gaza and the West Bank," he told Reuters.

It is known that at least 250 people were held hostage and below to Gaza in the Hamas-led militant group attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli calculations. Some have been released, half of which are still in Gaza, although at least as have been killed.

Israel and Hamas themselves have been holding negotiations since October 2023, but after the initial hostage release in November last year, little progress has been made with both sides blaming each other.