Netanyahu Welcomes Trump’s Demand to Free Hostages Before Inauguration

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday welcomed President-elect Donald J. Trump’s demand that hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on Israel be released from Gaza before his inauguration in January.

Mr. Trump, in a social media post on Monday, did not elaborate on what action would be taken if the captives were not released by Jan. 20, when he will be sworn in. Still, some Israeli officials appeared to be reassured by Mr. Trump’s remarks, which suggested the onus was more on the militants holding the hostages than on Israel to free the captives.

“I want to thank President Trump for his strong statement yesterday,” Mr. Netanyahu said on Tuesday at a meeting of government ministers. “This is a very decisive statement that clarifies that there is one party responsible for this situation and that is Hamas,” he added.

Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday that “there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity” if the hostages are not released before his inauguration.

“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America,” he said. “RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”

According to Israeli authorities, about 250 hostages were captured in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct, 7, 2023, and about 100 of them remain in Gaza, with at least a third believed to be dead. Alongside Israel and international mediators, including Qatar and Egypt, the Biden administration has been working toward a cease-fire deal that would include the release of the hostages, although those talks have been stalled for months.