President Donald Trump gave Hamas a 48-hour ultimatum to return the remains of hostages still held in Gaza, a demand that prompted the terror group to announce it would expand searches for the bodies to keep the ceasefire from collapsing.
President Trump issued the warning Saturday as he met Qatar’s emir and prime minister aboard Air Force One, calling Hamas solely responsible if the truce fails. The agreement, brokered earlier this month with Qatari mediation, requires the group to release all captives, living and dead, and begin steps toward disarmament.
“There is now a very strong peace in the Middle East,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social, warning that Hamas must “quickly” deliver the bodies, including two Americans, or “the other countries involved in this great peace will take action.” He suggested that Hamas’ hesitation may stem from its resistance to the deal’s disarmament clause. “Both sides will be treated fairly only if they comply with their obligations,” he added. “Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.”
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Hours later, senior Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya told Al Jazeera that search teams would “enter new areas today to locate some of the bodies,” stressing that the organization did not want to give Israel “an excuse to renew fighting.” He said Hamas’ weapons “are linked to the existence of occupation and aggression,” describing talks on disarmament as “still in their infancy.”
Israeli officials said Egypt has been allowed to send forces into Gaza to assist in recovering the remaining bodies.
So far, Hamas has handed over 20 living hostages and the bodies of 15 others, while 13 remain in Gaza. The group claims it cannot locate all of the remains, though Israeli officials say most are within reach and accuse Hamas of stalling to avoid disarming.