‘We’ll See How Tough They Are’: Trump Piles Pressure on Hamas to Meet Deadline for Release of Israeli Hostages

Latest Developments

Netanyahu Warns of Resumption of ‘Intense Fighting’: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas that “intense fighting” would resume in Gaza if the Iran-backed terrorist organization fails to release Israeli hostages by a Saturday deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump. “If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” Netanyahu stated in a televised address on February 11. Netanyahu spoke after Israel’s security cabinet met to discuss its response to Hamas’s announcement that hostage releases under the current, first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement would be postponed “until further notice” because of alleged Israeli violations.
Hamas Dismisses Trump: Trump doubled down on his earlier statements demanding the swift release of the Israeli captives, reiterating to Hamas that “all hell is going to break out” if the terrorist group does not release “all” the hostages by the deadline. Hamas dismissed Trump’s comments, with senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri declaring, “The language of threats has no value and further complicates matters.” Trump declined to specify what his threat would involve when pressed at a joint press conference at the White House with King Abdullah II of Jordan, remarking in relation to Hamas, “I think they want to play tough guy, but we’ll see how tough they are.”
Elderly Hostage Confirmed Killed as Captive Brothers Show ‘Signs of Life’: Trump and Netanyahu both spoke after the Israeli authorities confirmed that 85-year-old Shlomo Mantzur, the eldest Israeli hostage, had been killed during the Hamas atrocities of October 7, 2023, and his body taken captive to Gaza. A total of 73 hostages remain in the coastal enclave, 34 of whom have been declared dead by Israel. Meanwhile, the family of two of the hostages, twin brothers Ziv and Gali Berman, confirmed on February 11 that they had received “signs of life” after nearly 500 days in Hamas captivity. “We received signs of life from those who returned in the last phase at the start of the deal,” their aunt explained in an interview with Israel’s KAN broadcaster. “The two are not being held together, but they are alive and in mortal danger.”

FDD Expert Response

“Hamas is leveraging the hostage situation to assert its power and control. The Islamist group recognizes that the hostages are its most significant asset in maintaining its authority. By amplifying minor alleged violations by Israel, Hamas is orchestrating delays in the hostage exchange process. Hamas has effectively signaled that it will continue to withhold the release of hostages until it is confident in its grip on power in the Gaza Strip. This calculated approach suggests that the group will remain committed to creating delays as part of its broader strategy to continue its rule in Gaza.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Hamas is the greatly weakened but still present obstacle between the people of Gaza and an end to this war. The cruel decision to postpone further releases indefinitely reveals a simple truth: Gaza can have Hamas, or it can have reconstruction, but it can’t have both.” — Ben Cohen, FDD Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director