USA
Trump gives Hamas ‘last warning’ over hostages amid unprecedented bilateral talks
The US President also met with a delegation of recently freed hostages ahead of his strongly-worded statement
March 6, 2025 10:23
2 min read
The US President also met with a delegation of recently freed hostages ahead of his strongly-worded statement
March 6, 2025 10:23US President Donald Trump has issued a “last warning” to Hamas, demanding that the terror group release its remaining hostages or face “hell to pay”.
Posting to his Truth Social platform, Trump called the group “sick and twisted” over its holding of deceased hostages and promised that “no Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say”.
"'Shalom Hamas' means Hello and Goodbye - You can choose. 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. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! I am… pic.twitter.com/88EjVAyWAe
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) March 5, 2025
Beginning his statement with a play on the dual meaning of the Hebrew word Shalom, he said: “Shalom Hamas' means Hello and Goodbye - You can choose. 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.
"Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! 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...
"For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. 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!”
The strongly-worded statement was later backed up the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told Fox News: “He's lost his patience with it.
"He's tired of watching videos of emaciated hostages being released, bodies turned over—sometimes the wrong ones—and these games being played.
"He doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean, if he says he’ll do something, he’ll do it. They better take that seriously.”
Trump also referenced his meeting with a group of recently released hostages in the Oval Office, where he heard their testimonies of the abuse they suffered while in captivity.
The delegation included Eli Sharabi, whose British-Israeli wife Lianne and teen daughters Yahel and Noiya were murdered during the October 7 attacks – a fact he only learned after he was freed almost 500 days later.
Sharabi thanked Trump for playing a key role in securing his release, while the group presented the president with a picture comparing liberated Holocaust survivors with freed hostages.
The image showed three survivors after liberation from death camps with the caption “never again” and then three hostages with the caption “again”.
Trump’s statement came after it emerged that the US had taken the unprecedented step of sending an envoy to negotiate directly with Hamas in Qatar.
Washington has designated Hamas as a foreign terror group since 1997 and all talks have been conducted through mediators, similarly to the approach taken by Israel over the years.
However, following a report from Axios, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the move, emphasising that Jerusalem had been “consulted” before the diplomatic channel was opened.
The talks have focussed on the fate of the remaining US-linked hostages but have also touched on plans for general hostage releases and the long-term peace process, according to the original report.