President Donald Trump has dropped a bombshell on Hamas, demanding the immediate release of Israeli hostages from Gaza or face dire consequences that could reshape the Middle East, as New York Post reports.
With a tight deadline of Sunday at 6 p.m., Trump has laid out a 21-point peace plan that starts with freeing all hostages within 72 hours, aiming to halt the conflict through disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, and an international peacekeeping presence.
The saga began Monday when Trump, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unveiled this ambitious framework, giving Hamas a clear choice: comply or risk Israel finishing the fight with full U.S. backing.
On Saturday, Trump doubled down, warning Hamas leaders that if they drag their feet on releasing hostages, “all bets will be off” for any leniency.
By Sunday, he escalated the rhetoric, threatening “complete obliteration” if Hamas refuses to cede control of Gaza as part of the deal—hardly a subtle nudge for compliance.
With only 20 hostages believed to still be alive, the stakes couldn’t be higher, and Trump’s no-nonsense approach signals zero patience for what some might call progressive stalling tactics.
Meanwhile, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are spearheading negotiations in Cairo on Sunday, as confirmed by a White House official, showing America’s commitment to brokering this deal.
On the Israeli side, Netanyahu’s office expressed optimism on Friday about implementing the first phase—hostage release—and preparations are already underway for swift action.
Netanyahu himself voiced hope on Sunday for announcing the hostages’ return by next week, a rare glimmer of light in a conflict often mired in despair.
Hamas, however, isn’t rolling over easily, with senior official Mousa Abu Marzouk calling Trump’s tight timeframe for releasing hostages and the bodies of two deceased Americans “unrealistic under current circumstances” in a Friday statement to Al Jazeera.
The group insists on waiting until “field conditions are met,” hinting at their demand for Israel to halt military moves in Gaza City—a condition they seem to think justifies holding out.
Let’s be clear: while one can empathize with any group’s desire for security, using hostages as bargaining chips hardly screams moral high ground, especially when lives hang in the balance.
On the ground, Israel has scaled back operations in Gaza City to a defensive minimum, per Army Radio reports, a gesture likely tied to Trump’s call for a temporary pause to facilitate the deal.
Both sides have agreed to push forward after the hostage phase toward disarmament and a full Israeli troop withdrawal, followed by an international peacekeeping board led by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and an Arab-led stabilization force in Gaza.
Yet, resistance lingers within Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who, according to The Wall Street Journal, oppose full hostage release and disarmament without ironclad guarantees of permanent Israeli withdrawal—proving that even in peace talks, trust is the hardest currency to earn.
