Donald Trump issues threat to Hamas to release hostages immediately.

 

President Donald Trump. BBC/Getty.

Donald Trump has issued a threat to Hamas to release any remaining hostages immediately. BBC. Trump said he would send assistance to Israel and that no member of Hamas would be safe. The news has broken after it was also revealed that the United States and Hamas have had direct talks to try and get hostages released. Israel has been consulted in these talks. 24 hostages remain under control of Hamas along with the bodies of several more, including American citizens. Two meetings have been held between Hamas and the special envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, in Qatar. 

My Comment:

President Trump seems to be a bit upset that there are hostages still remaining in Gaza. What set him off is a mystery to me, from what I understand Hamas is still abiding to the terms of the cease fire that set the hostages to be released in phases. Trump appears to not be satisfied with the pace of the releases. Of course, I don't think Israel is either given that they are again blockading Gaza. 

The fact that we are talking to Hamas directly could be a major reason why. Given how upset Trump seems to be I think those talks have not gone well. This could be an effort to get Hamas back on board with Trump's plan to get these folks released. It's very possible they want to hold onto these hostages for leverage, as they no longer have much of a military force. 

Talking to Hamas is pretty significant and a sign of how Trump does things. Other presidents would say "we don't negotiate with terrorists" and would let these folks rot in Gaza. There's an argument for that, if you negotiate with terrorists you legitimize them a bit, but the problem is that it isn't pragmatic. Leaving folks to rot isn't a solution. And Trump is probably President that relies on diplomacy more than any other president we have had recently. For example, Biden barely seemed aware that there were American hostages in Gaza, let alone did anything about it. 

Some on the right are upset about this as they don't really want Trump to help Israel. I could understand it if our citizens weren't being held as well, but as long as that is the case, Trump should do whatever he can to get those folks back. If it was just Israelis I might have some reservations, but that isn't the case. The anti-Jewish left is apoplectic as usual, but that's just par for the course. 

What happens if Hamas doesn't either release the hostages or cut a deal with Trump? I am not sure. From Trump's post it sounds like Israel will just get whatever they want in terms of weapons and free reign to do whatever they want with them. I doubt that it would actually involve US troops fighting in the war.

Either way though, I expect Hamas to release the hostages soon. They have very little leverage and if they try anything they will be in a very bad position. They absolutely need the cease fire to hold if they want to survive. And Trump has made it pretty clear that if they don't release them they are in a lot of trouble.