Israeli leaders applaud Trump’s strong stance on Hamas hostages

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders praised U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday for his firm statement demanding the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip before his January 20 inauguration.

“Hamas is required to release the hostages. President Trump put the emphasis in the right place, on Hamas, and not on the Israeli government, as is customary elsewhere,” Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

Trump’s post on Truth Social warned that failure to free the hostages would result in “hell to pay,” prompting a wave of approval from Israeli officials. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich commended the statement, describing it as “refreshing” and morally clear. “This is the way to bring back the hostages: by increasing the pressure and the costs for Hamas and its supporters,” he said.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar added his gratitude in a brief message on social media, writing, “Thank you, President Trump.”

The families of the 100 hostages still held by Hamas echoed this sentiment. In a statement, they called Trump’s remarks a decisive moment, saying, “It is now evident to all: the time has come. We must bring them home NOW.”

However, reactions in Gaza were markedly different. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim accused Netanyahu’s government of blocking prisoner exchange efforts and interpreted Trump’s comments as a rebuke to both Hamas and the Israeli leadership. Gaza-based political analyst Ramiz Moghani warned that Trump’s stance could embolden Israel to escalate its military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

The situation remains fraught, with over 250 hostages taken into Gaza during Hamas’s brutal October 7 attack on Israel. The massacre claimed the lives of 1,200 Israelis, while hundreds of thousands of Gazans have been displaced amid ongoing hostilities.

Trump’s warning reflects the U.S.’s growing impatience with Hamas’s actions and signals strong support for Israel’s efforts to secure the hostages’ release. As both sides prepare for potential shifts in strategy, Israel continues to rely on its alliances to counter terror threats and defend its citizens.

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