Trump appears to threaten Hamas with 'all hell to pay' over hostages

The US president-elect vows a response if captives in Gaza are not released by the time he returns to the White House.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersTrump appears to threaten Hamas with 'all hell to pay' over hostagesReutersTrump has positioned himself as a supporter of Israel's campaign in Gaza, but has urged it to wrap up its operationUS President-elect Donald Trump has issued an apparent warning to Hamas, threatening "all hell to pay" if hostages held by the Palestinian group in Gaza are not released by the time he returns to the White House on 20 January.

Dozens of people who were snatched during the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel remain unaccounted for. On Monday, the Israeli military said an Israeli-American soldier who it believed to be a captive had in fact been killed last October.

Without mentioning Hamas by name, Trump posted online the same day: "Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied history of the United States of America."

Trump has generally spoken of ending foreign conflicts, and of reducing US involvement.

He has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of Israel during its campaign in Gaza, but has urged the American ally to end its military operation.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62757dd55no

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