Hamas ‘ready to talk’ after Trump issues ‘last warning’
The US President angered Israel by suggesting only nine hostages were left alive and the captives ‘tend to die’.
Donald Trump has suggested only nine Israeli hostages are still alive in Gaza = far few than the 20 believed to have survived – as he told reporters: “Hostages tend to die.”
The US President made the remarks after earlier issuing a “last warning” to Hamas, demanding the militants accept a deal to release hostages in Gaza.
“The Israelis have accepted my terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning,” Mr Trump said on social media, without elaborating further.
Hamas said it was willing to “immediately sit at the negotiating table” after Mr Trump’s warning, and the president told reporters a ceasefire deal would be agreed “soon.”
However he added: “It’s a problem for everyone. There could be a little less than 20 (hostages) because they tend to die, right?“ He added, confusingly, “So we have a little less than 20 (living hostages) but 38 bodies. Bodies … meaning … bodies.”
Militants seized 251 hostages during the massive October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, with 47 still believed to be in Gaza, of whom the Israeli military says 25 are dead.
The country’s security officials said Mr Trump had got his figures wrong. Officials criticised him for his statement, telling state broadcaster Kan TV: “There are 20 live hostages – and any other statement is tantamount to allowing the blood of the hostages to be shed.”
Kan also reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “given the green light” to the proposal under which, according to Channel 12 TV, all hostages would be released on the first day of a truce. Israel would also halt Operation Gideon’s Chariot II operation to take control of Gaza City when the truce began.
Channel 12 also reports that once a ceasefire was in place, “negotiations will immediately begin under the personal leadership of the American president to end the war.”
In a statement released shortly after Mr Trump’s warning, Hamas said it was ready to restart truce negotiations following what it described as “some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement.”
“In this case, the Hamas movement welcomes any step that helps in efforts to stop the attack on our people, and emphasises that it is ready to immediately sit at the negotiating table,” the group said.
US news outlet Axios reported that White House envoy Steve Witkoff sent a new proposal for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal to Hamas last week.
The White House has not released any details about the proposal but late on Sunday (local time) Mr Trump said “you’ll be hearing about it pretty soon,” as he portrayed the negotiations in a positive light.
“We had some very good discussions. Good things could happen,” he told reporters. “I think we’re going to have a deal on Gaza very soon.”
In early March, Mr Trump issued a similar warning to Hamas after meeting eight freed hostages at the White House, demanding it free all remaining hostages immediately and turn over bodies of dead hostages, saying if not, “it is OVER for you.”
His warning came as the Israeli Defence Forces struck a third high rise residential building in Gaza in as many days after issuing several warnings to people in the area to evacuate. The military struck the building after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the IDF was “deepening” its assault on the Gaza Strip’s key urban centre.
Witnesses told Israeli media the strike on the al-Ru’ya Tower “felt like an earthquake.”
Ù„Øظة قص٠طيران الاØتلال لبناية "الرؤيا"ØŒ ÙÙŠ ØÙŠ تل الهوا، جنوب غرب مدينة غزة. pic.twitter.com/iYwlXZytFJ
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) September 7, 2025
On Friday, Mr Trump said the United States was “very deep in negotiations with Hamas” while suggesting that more hostages could have died in Gaza.
“We said let them all out right now, let them all out, and much better things will happen for them,” Mr Trump said of Hamas-held hostages, warning that if they did not, “it’s going to be nasty.”
A day earlier, Israeli protesters took to the streets to call on their government to reverse the decision to seize Gaza City, fearing for the fate of hostages believed to be held there.
On Friday, in Tel Aviv, relatives of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip released yellow balloons to mark 700 days of captivity.
AFP
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