Donald Trump vows to hit Hamas 'harder than anybody' if terror group fails to release hostages by January 20

The number of hostages - both foreign and Israeli - still in the terror group's hands stands at around 101, but only half of the tally are thought to be alive.

And with his first day back in the White House looming, Trump said: "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!

"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.

"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!"

The 45th and soon-to-be-47th President's warnings follow his scorched-earth approach to enemies in the Middle East in his first term in office.

MORE ON TRUMP AND ISRAEL:

• 'There'll be hell to pay!' Trump ally sends warning to PM over 'bulls**t' Netanyahu arrest warrant
• Trump will 'CRUSH' UK if Starmer helps arrest Netanyahu after ICC issues 'absurd' warrant
• Biden and Harris 'have turned their back on Israel' amid Iran's chilling election threat

Back in January 2020, Trump made the bold move to kill Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani - sparking outrage from American adversaries overseas.

But almost five years on, Trump allies both home and abroad are readying up for a decisive end to the conflict in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war will go on until Hamas is eradicated and poses no more threat to Israel.

In response, Hamas has called for an end to the war and total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of any deal to release the remaining hostages.

While the President-elect's pick for defence secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed it will be "critical" for the US to stand by its "strong ally" in the Jewish state.

Hegseth has previously stated that there would be "no reason why the miracle of re-establishing the temple on the Temple Mount isn't possible", referring to building a third Jewish temple on the site of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque.

But until January, the war between Israel and its Iran-backed enemies looks set to rage on - with airstrikes being swapped between Israel and Hezbollah in a tit-for-tat exchange in the face of a recently-agreed ceasefire.