President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that there would be “all hell to pay” if hostages held in the Middle East are not released by his inauguration on Jan. 20, and he vowed to hit militants harder than any other enemy in U.S. history.
Mr. Trump’s threat, issued on social media, suggested he would be willing to use direct U.S. military might to free the hostages.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East — But it’s all talk, and no action!” Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Hours before Mr. Trump issued his threat, President Biden said an Israeli American, Omer Neutra, had been killed by Palestinian militants in Hamas while fighting Israeli forces on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas has been holding his body.
Mr. Trump’s post did not mention Hamas or the Gaza Strip specifically, though the presumed context would be the roughly 100 hostages held by Hamas terrorists since the assault on Israel.
The raids killed more than 1,000 people and sparked an aggressive Israeli military campaign to rout militants in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Mr. Trump has questioned whether any of the hostages are alive.
“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” Mr. Trump said. “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister of Israel, praised Mr. Trump.
“Thank you, President Trump. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” he said on X.
Conservative voices flooded the internet with support of what they called a trademark no-nonsense move by Mr. Trump.
Acting on the threat would raise thorny questions.
Mr. Trump campaigned on a promise to end wars and U.S. military campaigns abroad, and he used Muslim Americans’ concerns about the Biden administration’s support for Israel against Vice President Kamala Harris, particularly in swing-state Michigan.
If taken literally, the vow to deliver the hardest-ever hit by the U.S. military would exceed the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan that led to the end of World War II.
Mr. Trump has a propensity for bold statements and using online threats as a negotiating tactic.
He has developed a track record of giving vocal support for Israel. He plans to nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has rejected a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian dispute, as his ambassador to Israel.
Since Election Day, Mr. Trump hasn’t wasted time in putting his stamp on global affairs. He threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on nations, including Mexico and Canada, that don’t bow to his policy wishes, and he has selected several polarizing loyalists for key Cabinet positions.
The threat to Hamas could be seen as an attempt to succeed where the current administration has fallen short or to gain credit if Mr. Biden lands a solution to the Gaza conflict.
Mr. Biden has been trying for months to negotiate a ceasefire deal to end the violence in Gaza, given concerns about civilian deaths on the Palestinian enclave between Israel and Egypt. In exchange, Hamas would be expected to release the remaining hostages.
Israel and Hezbollah militants recently struck a deal to cease fighting in northern Israel and Lebanon.
Mr. Trump posted a news story on Monday in which James Stavridis, a former NATO supreme allied commander, says the Hezbollah deal was likely a direct result of Mr. Trump’s pending inauguration and the certainty it would bring to Iran and its ability to support Hezbollah.
Mr. Biden said Neutra, a 21-year-old U.S. citizen, was serving as a tank commander in an Israel Defense Forces unit and was among the first soldiers to respond to the terrorist attack on Israel.
“A Long Island native, Omer planned to return to the United States for college. He dreamed of dedicating himself to building peace,” Mr. Biden said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that Neutra “fell in a heroic battle near Nir Oz on October 7.”
The announcement underscored the uncertain fates of roughly 100 hostages held by Hamas. It is unclear how many are alive.
Mr. Biden said he had met with Neutra’s parents at the White House as they prayed for his safe return.
“They told me how Omer’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors and how their family’s strength and resilience has been carried through the generations,” Mr. Biden said.
“During this dark hour — as our nation joins Omer’s parents, brother, and family in grieving this tragic loss — we pray to find strength and resilience,” he said. “And to all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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