US President Donald Trump on Wednesday told the people of Gaza to give up hostages or face "HELL" and told the Hamas militant group's leadership to flee the territory.
"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!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
In the same post, the US leader told Hamas to "release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you."
"This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance," he posted.
"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 wrote.
Five Americans are believed to remain among the hostages seized in the massive October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel. Four of them have been confirmed dead and the other, Edan Alexander, is believed to be alive.
The first phase of a ceasefire ended over the weekend after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war.
With AFP
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