From: The Times of Israel March 4, 2025
As European and Arab leaders panic, Trump gives Netanyahu rare freedom of action

While politicians sweat in Europe, Israel’s government — is acting with fresh confidence because of the US president.

Israel endured from these same European leaders:
1. months of condemnation,
2. quiet arms embargoes,
3. and pressure to end the Gaza war with Hamas still in power

In these first weeks of his second term, Trump has been everything Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have wanted, and more.
1. The president restored the maximum pressure policy against Iran and its nuclear program.
2. He and his team have promised repeatedly to work with Israel “to ensure Hamas is eliminated” — not just pushed out of ruling Gaza.
3. He wants to broker the Saudi-Israeli normalization deal.

And he is going after, with obsessive Israel critics like:
1. the International Criminal Court ICC for targeting Israel’s leaders,
2. South Africa and Ireland in the crosshairs.

Even as Netanyahu has avoided any movement toward the second phase of the hostage deal with Hamas, despite Israel’s commitment to do so, Trump has shrugged his shoulders.

“I really am,” he said in response to a question about whether he is fine with whatever choice Netanyahu makes on a hostage deal.
“You do whatever you want,” Trump says he has told Netanyahu.

In the short term, at least, it is clear what Netanyahu wants and doesn’t want in the deal with Hamas.

He is looking to force the terror group into an extension of the hostage-ceasefire agreement’s first, 42-day phase, which expired on Saturday.

That would see more living hostages released, and more Palestinian security prisoners freed in exchange, but without an Israeli commitment to end the war.

It remains unclear whether Netanyahu himself wants to return to war, or to prioritize a return to the fighting over efforts to secure the release of the hostages.

an Israeli official told The Times of Israel
But he has coalition partners and even close advisers who will not accept an end to the military campaign while Hamas remains in power

according to the official:
A potential 50-day extension to the ceasefire, under a plan concocted by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Steve Witkoff, is a way for Netanyahu to avoid a decision on whether to restart the war.

Europe isn’t the only region where US allies are scrambling to respond to Trump.

Egypt and Jordan found themselves unexpectedly in Trump’s crosshairs when he proposed clearing out Gaza and resettling its residents in the two countries, both of which see:
1. the absorption of large numbers of Palestinians as unthinkable,
2. destabilizing, and the crossing of a red line.

Yet that doesn’t solve the dilemma for Cairo or the Arab world.

If they want to forestall Trump’s plan to turn Gaza into a US-owned "Riviera" Arab leaders need to come up with a realistic plan that Israel and the US accept.

In order to push Hamas to agree to an extension that goes against its interests as well as the terms of the agreement that the US, Europe, and Arab countries so eagerly backed, and that Israel and Hamas signed off on in Doha, Netanyahu is now proudly and brazenly cutting off aid from reaching Gaza, during Ramadan no less.

This isn’t the first time Israel has restricted aid to pressure the terror group during the war. Yet it rarely boasted about it.

When Israel was trying to isolate northern Gaza in the final weeks of the Biden administration, sparking a warning letter from secretary of state Antony Blinken and defense secretary Lloyd Austin, Israel denied there was any restriction on aid.

With a mercurial and energetic Trump in the Oval Office, Europe’s reaction to Israeli policies on aid has been very different from what it was under Biden.

On Sunday, the EU chose to condemn Hamas for its refusal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire.

On Israel’s publicly stated intention to keep aid out of Gaza, the EU only warned that the move:
1. “could potentially result in humanitarian consequences,”
2. and avoided directly condemning Israel.

With their own security suddenly more precarious, European leaders are taking pains not to unnecessarily butt heads publicly with Trump, including on Israel.

As America’s allies in Europe and the Middle East struggle to find a response to Trump, therefore, Netanyahu finds himself:
1. with US-backed freedom of action
2. and presidential support.

And, unlike Zelensky, Netanyahu, who fell out with Trump after congratulating Biden on his 2020 presidential victory, has since developed an ability to understand the US president and remain in his good graces.

The prime minister’s bellicose speech to the Knesset on Monday evening, in which he painted himself as the victim of an ostensible series of false allegations concocted by the deep state and its corrupt mainstream media, was meant in good part for Trump’s ears.

Day 517 to date, however,
1. none of Netanyahu’s key war goals have been achieved,
2. and none of his other core promises have been fulfilled.
3. Iran’s nuclear program continues to progress.
4. Relations with Saudi Arabia are not normalized.
5. Hamas, still kicking, rules Gaza. And it is still holding 59 hostages.

From: The Jerusalem post March 5, 2025
Trump urges ‘sick and twisted’ Hamas to free all hostages now ‘or it is over for you’

‘We’ll get them out,’ Trump tells group of released hostages meeting him, in the Oval Office

Trump gives ultimatum to Hamas: This is your last warning!' 'Shalom Hamas' means Hello and Goodbye

You can choose:
1. Release all of the Hostages now, not later,
2. and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered,
3. or it is OVER for you.
4. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!
5. 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.
6. I have just met with your former Hostages whose lives you have destroyed.
7. This is your last warning!

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!"

If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, PA will cut ties with US
The Times of Israel by Jacob Magid 05 March 2025

People in Glass Houses.... The Double Standards and Hypocrisy beggars belief indeed

Extracts:

• If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, Palestinian Authority PA will cut ties with US

Abbas confidant: Ahmad Majdalani says,
1. Ramallah wants to turn page with Washington after bitter first term
2. and is maintaining contacts because it doesn’t see president’s proposal being implemented

A senior Palestinian official and confidant to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says,
In an interview with The Times of Israel from his Ramallah office last week, Palestine Liberation Organization PLO Executive Council member Ahmed Majdalani said, implementation of Trump’s proposal,
1. would amount to the “expulsion” of Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents
2. thereby posing an “existential threat” to the Palestinian cause

Pressed repeatedly as to whether such fervent opposition to the proposal meant the PA was prepared to sever ties with Washington again, Majdalani’s response was the same each time: “Of course”

If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, PA will cut ties with US
The Times of Israel by Jacob Magid 05 March 2025

Extracts:

• Ramallah alarmed by the president Trump’s talk of taking over Gaza

Ahmad Majdalani says, "Why would we have ties if Mr. Trump sticks to this proposal?”

The longtime Palestinian Authority minister clarified that Ramallah is prepared to work with Trump if he abandons the idea

Majdalani also pointed, to comments from top aides to the US president who have softened the proposal and suggested, they would be open to shelving it if Arab allies came up with an alternative plan for the post-war management of Gaza that removed Hamas from power

But the plan unveiled on Tuesday didn’t explicitly address this concern and the White House quickly came out against it, saying it was sticking with Trump’s original proposal

Majdalani in a rare on-record interview with Israeli media by a Palestinian official, said,
Still, the fact that Majdalani was willing to even entertain publicly the idea of ending ties with the US just over a month into Trump’s second tenure, highlighted how alarmed Ramallah was by the president’s talk of taking over Gaza

If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, PA will cut ties with US
The Times of Israel by Jacob Magid 05 March 2025

Extracts:

• Trying a different approach and Abraham Accords

The Palestinian Authority gradually cut ties with the US during Trump’s first term, when Trump,
1. recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
2. proposed a peace plan that envisioned Israel annexing all of its settlements
3. while offering the Palestinians only limited sovereignty over the semi-contiguous West Bank land that would remain

But two senior Palestinian officials who spoke to The Times of Israel ahead of Trump’s return to the White House said Ramallah would take a different approach during his second term, acknowledging that the lack of engagement with Washington led the US to bypass Ramallah completely as it brokered the Abraham Accords normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas restored ties with Trump, sending him a letter wishing him well after the then-GOP presidential nominee survived an attempt on his life last summer

Days after Trump was re-elected, the two then held what interlocutors described as a “warm” call — their first since 2017 — during which the president-elect pledged to end the war in Gaza

Two months later, Trump played an essential role in securing the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas that is still holding to date, albeit barely

Accordingly, Ahmad Majdalani said Ramallah was caught off guard when Trump weeks later announced his proposal for the US to “own” Gaza and “permanently” relocate all of its residents

If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, PA will cut ties with US
The Times of Israel by Jacob Magid 05 March 2025

Extracts:

• 'Deal of the Century’ flashbacks

Ahmad Majdalani is one of the closest aides to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas who has appointed him to a string of ministerial posts over the past 20 years

Last month, the Palestinian Authority president tapped him to head a fund that will be responsible for a highly sensitive reform to end controversial stipends to Palestinian security prisoners based on the length of their sentences

Notably, despite how unpopular it was among Palestinians, Abbas signed the decree enacting that reform days after Trump announced his Gaza takeover idea

Trump’s proposal was unveiled in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who immediately welcomed the idea

Majdalani said, this was because it fits with what Majdalani said, is the premier Netanyahu’s effort to,
1. annex large parts of the West Bank
2. thereby destroying the Palestinian Authority
3. and the effort for Palestinian statehood with it

If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, PA will cut ties with US
The Times of Israel by Jacob Magid 05 March 2025

Extracts:

• Trump’s 2020 peace plan could resurface....

Ahmad Majdalani noted that the Arab world has similarly rejected the US proposal, with Egypt and Jordan viewing Trump’s calls for them to take in Palestinians from Gaza as “existential threats” to their national security

Majdalani asserted,
The Palestinian Authority both before and after its rollout,
1. rejected Trump’s 2020 peace plan with similar fervor
2. and refused to discuss the initiative with Washington

The plan was largely shelved within months, while Washington pursued the Abraham Accords
Trump’s aides hinted that it could resurface in his second term but the president refrained from standing by it when asked last month

If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, PA will cut ties with US
The Times of Israel by Jacob Magid 05 March 2025

Extracts:

• No normalization with expulsion

Explaining the decision to re-engage with Trump after a first term that saw the US cut all aid to the Palestinians and shutter their diplomatic missions in Washington and Jerusalem, Ahmad Majdalani explained that Ramallah is “acting according to the political reality”

During their November call “Palestinian Authority PA President Mahmoud Abbas expressed a willingness to cooperate with President Trump and his new administration” said the senior member and faction leader within the Palestine Liberation Organization PLO — the international umbrella body representing Palestinians, which is also dominated by Abbas

Majdalani said,
Majdalani asserted,
Pressed again on why the PA has maintained contacts with Washington, given that Trump has yet to back away from his Gaza takeover pitch, Majdalani said,

If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, PA will cut ties with US
The Times of Israel by Jacob Magid 05 March 2025

Extracts:

• Gaza is an uninhabitable “demolition site”

Trump has defended his idea, saying that Gaza is an uninhabitable “demolition site”

Ahmad Majdalani said, referring to Israel’s 16-plus month bombardment of Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas after the October 7 onslaughtMr. Majdalani, have you asked Hamas the question:
"What was Hamas thinking when the terrorists invaded Israel and unleashed their brutal terror 07 October 2023

Why didn't the interviewer ask Mr. Majdalani this same question?

Majdalani continued,
1. The problem is not the existence of Palestinians in Gaza
2. The problem is the existence of the Israel occupation in Gaza

So the goal should be to remove the occupation, not the Palestinians” Majdalani said, asserting that only a two-state solution will provide security and stability for Israel and the region

Majdalani added
Asked whether the Palestinian Authority PA could accept the relocation of Gazans if it was done temporarily and not by force, Majdalani rejected the premise

• Palestinian Authority’s controversial prisoner payment policy

The other half of the interview with Majdalani about the PA's recent reform of its controversial prisoner payment policy was published on Tuesday

US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip
BBC by David Gritten 06 March 2025

Extracts:

• US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip

The US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip that would allow the 2.1 million Palestinians living there, to stay in place

The proposal, endorsed by Arab leaders at a summit in Cairo, is their alternative to President Donald Trump's idea,
1. for the US to take over Gaza
2. and permanently resettle its population

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas welcomed the Arab plan, which calls for,
1. Gaza to be governed temporarily by a committee of independent experts
2. and for international peacekeepers to be deployed there

But both the White House and Israeli foreign ministry said,
1. it failed to address realities in Gaza
2. and stood by Trump's vision

The summit took place amid growing concern that Gaza's fragile ceasefire deal could collapse after the six-week first phase expired last Saturday

Israel has blocked aid from entering the territory to pressure Hamas to accept a new US proposal for a temporary extension of the truce, during which more hostages held in Gaza would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners

Hamas has insisted, the second phase should begin as agreed,
1. leading to an end of the war
2. and a full Israeli troop withdrawal

US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip
BBC by David Gritten 06 March 2025

Extracts:

• US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip

The $53billion (£41billion) Arab plan for rebuilding Gaza once the war ends was presented by Egypt at an emergency Arab League summit on Tuesday

A statement endorsing the plan stressed "the categorical rejection of any form of displacement of the Palestinian people" describing such an idea as "a gross violation of international law, a crime against humanity and ethnic cleansing"

The plan envisages,
1. reconstruction taking place over three phases
2. and taking five years
3. during which some 1.5 million displaced Gazans would be moved into 200,000 prefabricated housing units and 60,000 repaired homes

• First phase

In the first phase, which would last six months and cost $3billion, millions of tonnes of rubble and any unexploded ordnance would be cleared

• Second phase

The second phase, lasting two years and costing $20 billion would see housing and utilities rebuilt

• Third phase

An airport, two seaports and an industrial zone would be built during the third phase, which would take another two years and cost $30 billion

The Arab plan also proposes,
1. an "administrative committee" made up of independent Palestinian technocrats run post-war Gaza for a transitional period
2. while "working towards empowering the Palestinian Authority to return"

And terrorists Hamas?

US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip
BBC by David Gritten 06 March 2025

Extracts:

• US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip

Hamas - which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US, UK and others - took full control of Gaza in 2007 ousting forces from the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, in violent clashes a year after 'winning' parliamentary elections

The Palestinian Authority was left governing parts of the occupied West Bank

President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority told the summit,
1. he welcomed the Arab plan
2. and urged Donald Trump to support it

Hamas said it appreciated,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out any future role in Gaza for Hamas or the Palestinian Authority

US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip
BBC by David Gritten 06 March 2025

Extracts:

• US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip

However Israel's foreign ministry swiftly rejected the Arab League's statement endorsing the Egyptian plan, saying,
The foreign ministry added,
White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said,
1. the Arab plan did "not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable
2. and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance


Trump proposed last month that the US would "own" Gaza and relocate its population, so that it could be rebuilt and turned into the "Riviera of the Middle East"

Trump said the displaced Palestinians would have no right of return because they would have "much better housing" in Egypt, Jordan and other countries

US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip
BBC by David Gritten 06 March 2025

People in Glass Houses.... The Double Standards and Hypocrisy beggars belief indeed

Extracts:

• US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip

The Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, told the BBC on Wednesday that "Trump's approach was unacceptable" Terror is?
Hossam Zaki, also described the Israeli foreign ministry's response to the Arab plan as "against humanity and against morals" October 7 is not?

Palestinians fear a repeat of the Nakba - the Arabic word for "catastrophe" - when hundreds of thousands fled or were driven from their homes before and during the war that followed the creation of the State of Israel in 1948

Many of those refugees ended up in Gaza, where they and their descendants make up three-quarters of the population

Another 900,000 registered refugees live in the West Bank, while 3.4 million others live in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, according to the United Nations

So, what's your answer gonna be, Mr. Majdalani?

The Times of Israel March 4, 2025
Financially Rewarding Terrorism -- Seeking funds abroad, Abbas ally touts prisoner payment reform that’s ‘unpopular’ at home

Tapped to head welfare fund replacing ‘pay-to-slay,’ Ahmad Majdalani says
1. it’ll be strictly need-based,
2. and should suffice for U.S. and Israel to scrap ‘unjust’ sanctions on Ramallah

Reuters March 6, 2025
U.S. holding direct talks with Hamas on release of American hostages in Gaza, source says

The Trump administration has been conducting secret talks with Hamas on the possibility of releasing U.S. hostages being held in Gaza, a source briefed on the conversations told Reuters.

Trump warns Hamas as U.S. holds unprecedented talks for Gaza hostages.

The United States broke a longstanding diplomatic taboo by holding secret talks with Hamas on securing the release of U.S. hostages held in Gaza, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, while President Donald Trump warned of "hell to pay" should the Palestinian militant group not comply.

U.S. hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler has the authority to talk directly with Hamas, the White House said when asked about the discussions, which broke with decades-old policy against negotiating with groups that the U.S. brands as terrorist organizations.

Boehler and Hamas officials met in Doha in recent weeks, two sources briefed on the negotiations said
It was not clear who represented Hamas.

The U.S. had long avoided direct engagement with the Islamist group, designated a terrorist organization in 1997

The Palestinian Mujahideen military group in Gaza condemned Trump's warning, saying it demonstrated his administration's intention "to proceed as a partner in the crimes of genocide against our people.” Israel has denied accusations of genocide.

the group said, Trump's threats today
1. clearly reveal the ugly face of the United States of America
2. and show its lack of seriousness and its renunciation of the agreement it mediated

To date, the U.S. role in helping to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement has been dealing with Israel and Qatari and Egyptian mediators but without any known direct communications between Washington and Hamas.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Boehler "does have the authority" to hold direct talks with Hamas
She said Israel was consulted but did not indicate whether this was before or after the talks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying: “Israel has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas”
It did not elaborate but Israel, which along with many other countries considers Hamas a terrorist organization, refuses to negotiate directly with the group.

Taher Al-Nono, Hamas political adviser, told Reuters:
"I have no information about meetings with American officials but any meeting with the American administration is beneficial for the stability of the region"

Jonathan Panikoff, a former U.S. deputy national intelligence officer on the Middle East, said
"Trump's unconventional diplomatic approach carries both risks and opportunities."

Panikoff, now at the Atlantic Council thinktank said
1. "On one hand, engaging Hamas directly could make it easier to get U.S. hostages out and help reach a long-term agreement,"
2. "On the other, there’s a reason the US doesn’t usually negotiate with terrorist groups,"
3. "knowing Washington will do so incentivizes them to repeat the behavior in the future."

The Guardian March 6, 2025
White House confirmed that the U.S. had entered direct negotiations with Hamas, potentially to bypass Israel in securing the release of the remaining U.S. hostages.

New York Post March 5, 2025
U.S. secretly talking with Hamas about release of American hostages from Gaza
The White House confirmed Wednesday that President Trump's Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has engaged in direct talks with Hamas.

Well, I was under the impression that Trump was securing the release of ALL hostages from Gaza

From: The Jerusalem Post March 6, 2025
Witkoff: 'Trump wants Hamas to release Israeli-American Edan Alexander'

He also confirmed that a date has been set for a return to fighting, but that he cannot reveal it.

US President Donald Trump wants Hamas to release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander to show he is serious about negotiations, US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House on Thursday.

Witkoff said: "Edan Alexander is very important to us. He is wounded, and he is a top priority.
I hope we see good behavior [from Hamas] next week and that I can get there (to Qatar) and have good talks,"

Speaking of Trump's stance, Witkoff said, "An American is going to be a priority for him."

"The president's message yesterday to Hamas was that he was fed up. I wouldn't test the president... There will be consequences."

Witkoff added in his statement:
1. "It's time for Hamas to act responsibly, which it is not currently doing.
2. Hamas has an opportunity to behave sensibly and do the right thing and then leave Gaza.
3. They will not be part of a future government in Gaza.
4. If they understand this - they have a path to leave."

"We don't care so much about these terms 'phase two' or 'extension of phase one,' what we are focused on is reaching a solution and releasing the hostages."

Remaining hostages:
1. "We estimate 22 maybe 24 living hostages remain in Gaza, and we want them all back.
2. And we want the bodies back, too."

He added that the Trump administration is in conversations with Israelis every single day.
In as press conference on Thursday, Trump said "we are talking to Hamas and helping Israel."

"Any action by Israel against Hamas will be supported by our administration," Witkoff stated.

He also confirmed that a date has been set for a return to fighting, but that he cannot reveal it.

Hamas is nothing without the support of the ayatollahs in Iran. They already tried to kill Trump.

Trump again lashes out at Hamas: 'Release all hostages or you are finished'

US President Donald Trump has given Hamas a "final warning". "Release all hostages now, not later, and immediately bring back all the bodies of the people you have killed, or you are FINISHED", he wrote in a post on his own social media network Truth Social.

"I am sending Israel everything it needs to get the job done, no Hamas member is safe if you do not do what I say", Trump stated in the post. Leaders of the organization must leave Gaza. In his post, he also repeated his threat that "all hell will break loose" if he is not obeyed.

"Furthermore, to the People of Gaza: There is a bright Future ahead, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!"

From: The Times of Israel March 6, 2025

Trump: US-Hamas talks ‘helping Israel because we’re talking about Israeli hostages’
Washington said to suspect Israel leaked information on talks with terror group to sabotage them

US envoy indicates Hamas should release Israeli-American hostage as show of goodwill

President Donald Trump defends his administration’s unprecedented direct negotiations with Hamas, saying:
“We are helping Israel in those discussions because we’re talking about Israeli hostages.”

Israel, however, is opposed to the direct US negotiations with Hamas, an official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel earlier Thursday.

Speaking to reporters while signing executive orders in the Oval Office, Trump says, “We’re not doing anything in terms of Hamas. We’re not giving cash.”
“You have to negotiate. There’s a difference between negotiating and paying. We want to get these people out,” Trump says.

US President Donald Trump repeatedly asked about the public support for a hostage deal in Israel, during a meeting with several freed hostages at the White House yesterday, Channel 13 reports.

Trump is quoted by Channel 13 as having asked if the public was “ready for a deal to release the hostages that includes the release of terrorists?”

Phase One: Already 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of 8 more in exchange for nearly 2,000 terrorists

From: The Times of Israel March 6, 2025
Reflecting on his meetings with a group of eight released hostages Wednesday, Trump says he couldn’t believe their stories about how poorly they were treated in captivity.

“They want to know if we could just continue” with the release of additional hostages, Trump says:
“We have 59 left — of which 24 are living. The rest are dead… Those 24 who are living… they said they’re in very bad shape.”

“I put out a statement that’s self-explanatory,” Trump says, referring to the ultimatum he issued for Hamas to immediately release the remaining hostages or face destruction. “Somebody’s going to have to get a lot rougher than they’re getting. It’s a shame.”

“We want to get these people out. If you would have seen the people yesterday… the way they spoke about their captivity, it was unbelievable. It’s terrible.”

Asked about the Arab rejection of his plan to relocate all of Gaza’s residents, Trump avoids responding directly.
“Gaza could be good, but it’s got to be run properly. Right now, Gaza is an absolute mess, and it has been for many, many years and decades,”