Hamas eliminates Trump’s threat and says it will only be free to trade for a lasting truce

Cairo (AP) – Hamas radical group refuted President Donald Trump’s latest threat on Thursday and reiterated that it would only release the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a protracted ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to withdraw from the ceasefire agreed in January. The agreement calls for negotiations in the second phase, in which hostages will be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and Israel’s evacuation from Gaza.

Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said the “the best way to release the rest of Israel’s hostages” is through negotiations conducted at that stage, which should begin in early February. So far, only limited ready negotiations have been held.

Trump issued a “last warning” to Hamas after meeting with eight former hostages on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that it had unprecedentedly direct negotiations with militant groups that Israel and Western countries regard as terrorist organizations.

“Now no longer release all hostages in the future and return all the bodies of the person you were murdered immediately, or it’s over for you,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social Platform. “Only those who are sick and twisted keep you sick and twisted!”

Both Israel and Hamas have long practices to capture opponents’ remains in order to trade as hostage prisoners.

Hamas is believed to have still killed hostages 24 times in the October 7, 2023 attack, which triggered war, including Israel – Edan Alexander of the United States. It also has the bodies of 34 people, who were either killed in the initial attack or imprisoned, as well as the remains of soldiers killed in the 2014 war.

Hamas released 25 species of Israeli hostages and eight bodies in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first 42-day phase of the ceasefire that ended Saturday.

Israel supports it as a new plan for the second phase, where Hamas will immediately release half of the remaining hostages, while the rest are in negotiations for a permanent ceasefire. Hamas rejected the proposal and said it was sticking to the agreement signed in January.

Israel cut off delivery of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza in order to put pressure on Hamas to accept the new arrangements. If Hamas does not restore the hostage release, it threatens to have “other consequences.”

It is unclear whether the U.S.-Hamas talks have made progress. The Trump administration has pledged to fully support Israel’s main war goal, namely, to return all hostages and eliminate Hamas, which may be incompatible.

In the October 7 attack, militants led by Hamas killed about 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians, and took a total of 251 hostages. Most have been released in a ceasefire agreement or other arrangements. Israeli troops rescued eight live hostages and recovered dozens of bodies.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel’s military offensive killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, without saying how many were militants. Israel said it has killed more than 17,000 fighter jets, but provided no evidence.

The offensive destroyed vast areas of Gaza and was displaced. Thousands of people live in tents, remodel schools or buildings damaged by war, and the population relies on international aid.

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