Skip to main content

Tactic or bluster? Trump’s Hamas threat hangs over Gaza talks

President-elect Donald Trump is threatening “all hell will break out” if Hamas doesn’t release the remaining hostages before he takes office. Is the Palestinian militant group prepared to call his bluff?

trump
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center on Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona. — Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

You're reading an excerpt from Al-Monitor Washington, where we break down the latest in US-Middle East diplomacy. To read the full newsletter, sign up here. 

WASHINGTON — Hamas is shrugging off Donald Trump’s latest threat to unleash hell on the militant group if the hostages aren’t released by his inauguration. 

During a press conference at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, the president-elect repeatedly warned that “all hell will break out” should the Palestinian militant group fail to reach a deal to free the remaining captives before he takes office on Jan. 20. He issued a similar threat on social media in early December. 

“Hell is already there in Gaza,” said Basem Naim, a Hamas spokesperson. 

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish