Trump Threatens ‘To Let Hell Break Out’ in Gaza if Israeli Captives Not Released

Trump yesterday threatened to “let hell break out” in Gaza if all the Israeli captives in the Strip are not released by Saturday at noon.

“As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock – I think it’s an appropriate time – I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out. I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“And if they’re not returned – all of them, not in dribs and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two – Saturday at 12 o’clock. And after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out,” he added.

His comments came after Hamas announced it would delay the release of Israeli captives scheduled for this weekend following Israel’s failure to uphold its commitments under the ceasefire agreement.

“We have fulfilled all our obligations,” Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida said, “But Israel has not.”

Under the terms of the truce, Israel was due to allow in 12,000 trucks of aid but has so far only allowed 8,500 to enter the besieged enclave, 50 trucks of fuel a day were also due to enter Gaza to allow emergency services and hospitals to operate, however only 15 are being allowed to trickle in. In addition, occupation forces have allowed no mobile homes to enter the enclave in spite of the ceasefire deal outlining that 60,000 would be allowed in, while only 20,000 of the 200,000 tents agreed to have entered Gaza.

Continuing his threats to the Middle East, Trump said he will consider cancelling aid to Jordan and Egypt if they do not accept Palestinians being relocated from Gaza.

“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not? If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes,” he said.

Jordan receives more than $1.5 billion in foreign aid each year from the United States, while Egypt gets $1.3 billion annually in Foreign Military Financing from Washington.

Asked how he will convince Jordan’s king to take in more Palestinians, Trump said: “I do think he’ll take, and I think other countries will take also. They have good hearts.”

The president said that Palestinians are all going to leave when they have a “nice place that’s safe.”

Trump is expected to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II today in Washington DC amid heightened regional tensions, particularly over the president’s proposal to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza and move them to Jordan and Egypt, which has drawn sharp criticism.

“It’s a hell hole right now,” he added.

Turning to the occupied West Bank, Trump said he has “no plans” to move them.

“Right now they’re there, and I assume they want to remain there. It’s different. They’re there. It’s never been like what we’re talking about with the Gaza Strip,” he added.