Donald Trump said that Hamas should release all hostages held in Gaza by midday Saturday or he would propose canceling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and "let hell break out."
The President expressed frustration with the condition of the last group of hostages freed by Hamas and by the announcement by the group that it would halt further releases.
He told reporters in the Oval Office: "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 also said he might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don't take Palestinian refugees being relocated from Gaza. He is set to meet Jordan's King Abdullah later today.
Trump's latest comments have caused outrage among citizens in Gaza
Reuters
Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami, hostages held in Gaza released by Hamas
Reuters
It comes as the Republican President proposed resettling Gaza's 2.2 million Palestinians and the US taking control of the enclave, redeveloping it into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
The announcement caused outrage among some politicians, with the head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory Navi Pillay saying his comments were "illegal" and "amounted to ethnic cleansing."
When asked if Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza, President Trump said: "No, they wouldn't because they're going to have much better housing....I'm talking about building a permanent place for them."
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the statement that Palestinians would not be able to return to Gaza was "irresponsible" adding: "We affirm that such plans are capable of igniting the region".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who praised Trump's proposal, suggested Palestinians would be allowed to return to the heavily bombarded enclave.
He said: "They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza."
LATEST FROM THE ISRAEL-GAZA CONFLICT
Prime Minister Netanyahu said: "We will continue to take determined and ruthless action until we return all of our hostages - the living and the deceased"
Reuters
Much of Gaza has been destroyed in the Israeli attack with many in the enclave displaced
Reuters
Palestinians have long been haunted by what is known as the "Nakba", or catastrophe, when 700,000 of them were dispossessed from their homes during the war that surrounded the creation of Israel in 1948.
Comments made by Trump as well as some in the Israeli government have stoked fears of a new Nakba.
Most Gazans have been displaced several times in Israel's offensive, launched after the 2023 attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to Palestinian health officials.
Residents in Gaza have expressed their fury at Trump's comments. Shaban Shaqaleh said: "We are horrified by the destruction, the repeated displacement and the death, and I wanted to leave so I can secure a safe and better future for my children - until Trump said what he said.
"After Trump's remarks, (saying) he wanted to own Gaza and depopulate it, I cancelled the idea, I took it off my schedule and my planning. I fear leaving and never being able to come back. This is my homeland."
Palestinians making their way past the rubble after Israeli forces withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor
Reuters
Reacting to Trump's comments that he would "let hell break out" Jomaa Abu Kosh, from Rafah in southern Gaza said: "Hell worse than what we have already? Hell worse than killing? The destruction, all the practices and human crimes that have occurred in the Gaza Strip have not happened anywhere else in the world."
Samira Al-Sabea, accused Israel of blocking aid deliveries, a charge strongly denied by Israel.
She said: "We are humiliated, street dogs are living a better life than us. And Trump wants to make Gaza hell? This will never happen."
Prime Minister Netanyahu said: "We will continue to take determined and ruthless action until we return all of our hostages - the living and the deceased."
Zuhri told reporters: "Trump must remember there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties, and this is the only way to bring back the (Israeli) prisoners. The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters."
Children play with marbles near destroyed buildings at the Shati camp for Palestinian refugees north of Gaza City
Getty
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said that Palestinians "must be allowed home" following Trump's comments.
He told the House of Commons last week: "They must be allowed home, they must be allowed to rebuild...and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to that two-state solution."
However, Green Party foreign spokeswoman and North Herefordshire MP Ellie Chowns said: "The forced movement of a people from their homeland is ethnic cleansing.
"These comments advocating for ethnic cleansing have to be understood in the context of the mounting evidence of genocide in Gaza occurring over the last year.
"The people of Gaza are not obstacles to be removed; they are human beings with the right to live with dignity, security, and self-determination.
"Britain must take the opportunity today to reiterate the Palestinian right to self-determination. And if we are serious about this, we should clearly state our support for Palestinian statehood. This is the bare minimum that is required at this stage."
