US President-elect Donald Trump has demanded the immediate release of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip, saying on social media that if they are not freed before he takes office in January there will be “HELL TO PAY”.
It was not immediately clear whether he was threatening to directly involve the US military in Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
The US has given Israel crucial military and diplomatic support throughout the nearly 15-month conflict.
In a post on his Truth Social site, Mr Trump called for Palestinian militants to free all of the roughly 100 Israeli hostages still held inside Gaza, around two-thirds of whom are believed to be alive.
If not, he said: “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
Hours earlier, the Israeli government confirmed the death of Omer Neutra, a dual US-Israeli citizen, whose body is still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza, according to the Israeli government.
The Biden administration is mounting a last-ditch effort to try to restart talks between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on Mr Trump’s post, though President Isaac Herzog welcomed it.
