Washington, Sept 6 (UNI) US President Donald Trump has claimed that some of the 20 hostages held by Hamas fighters “may have recently died,” as the Israeli military issued a call of evacuation for residents, ahead of its military campaign in the war-torn enclave, with the capture of Gaza City being the objective.
In a Friday briefing to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump, when asked about the situation in Gaza, and Israel’s ongoing fight with Hamas terrorists said “It’s 20 people but I think of the 20, there could be some that have recently died is what I’m hearing. I hope that’s wrong.
“We know that at least 30 people are dead, and we are negotiating to get them out,” he added.
Regarding the mediation process, the POTUS commented “We’re in very deep negotiations with Hamas. We said, ‘let ’em all out, right now, let ’em all out, and much better things will happen.'”
It’s going to be nasty — that’s my opinion, Israel’s choice, but that’s my opinion,” Trump said. “They gotta let them out.”
However, he did not elaborate, declining to give further details on the matter. Nonetheless, it seems that Washington has been working to reach a deal through backchannel talks, with special envoy Steve Witkoff having reportedly met in Paris with Qatari officials on Thursday to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.
“When you get down to the final 10 or 20, you’re not gonna get them out unless you’re gonna do a lot and doing a lot means capitulation,” he remarked.
According to official Israeli tallies, 48 hostages remain in captivity, 26 of whom have been declared dead, and the IDF has currently not given any details regarding the POTUS’ statement, reports CNN.
Trump made a similar statement in August, when he claimed that some of the prisoners -- revealed to be alive -- were dead, which caused much distress to the families of the hostages.
Questioned on what demands Hamas still has, Trump told reporters that some of the things they have asked for are reasonable, but added, “You have to remember October 7th.”
“You know, people forget October 7th – it’s not an easy thing to forget, right?” he said. “But people forget, or they maybe purposely forget October 7th. So, you know, you have to put that into the equation very strongly.”
In a statement Saturday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum did not directly address Trump’s latest remarks on the hostages but thanked him for “making every effort to fulfil his promise to bring them home,” as per Kan.
Hamas has warned Israel that it will kill at least one of the eight hostages in custody, should it continue with its military operation.
The POTUS has, however, criticised the processions in Israel by people who have been asking the IDF to stop its actions in Gaza, stating they “put Israel in a tough position” by making it harder to “prosecute a war.”
This argument somewhat echoed ones made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the hostage family protesters, claiming that they play into the hands of Hamas by placing public pressure on the government rather than on Hamas.
The families in response said that this is partially because they’ve lost faith in the government , and now believe that deliberately extending the war to remain in power longer, and is not trying to save their loved ones.
As of now, the IDF controls over 40% of Gaza City, and more than 75-80% of the entire enclave.
The Israeli military has called on Palestinians to move from Gaza City to the south, in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
“We are declaring the Mawasi area a humanitarian zone, where work will be carried out to provide better humanitarian service,” the Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement on X on Saturday morning.
“Seize the opportunity to move to the humanitarian zone early and join the thousands who have already moved there,” he added.
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