TIMES OF ISRAEL
Netanyahu praises Trump for aiming hostage demands at Hamas; repeats prewar reality in north won’t resume
Lazar Berman
December 3, 2024

At a special cabinet meeting in the northern coastal city of Nahariya, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks US President-elect Donald Trump for writing on social media that “there will be all hell to pay” if hostages held by terrorists in Gaza aren’t released by his inauguration on January 20 “It is a very strong statement,” says Netanyahu at the opening of the meeting, “which makes it clear that there is one party responsible for this situation — and that is Hamas. Hamas must release the hostages.”Trump, continues Netanyahu, “put the emphasis in the right place — on Hamas, and not on the Israeli government, as is customary in some places.” READ MORE

FDD All Hell to Pay’: President-elect Trump issues strident demand to release hostages in Gaza Statement Follows Hamas’s Release of Propaganda Video: Trump’s message came after news that American lone soldier Capt. Omer Neutra was killed in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. It also followed Hamas’s release of a propaganda video on November 30 showing New Jersey native Edan Alexander pleading with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a deal with Hamas to save the hostages’ lives. Hamas still holds seven American hostages, three of whom are believed to still be alive.

FDD Benjamin Anthony, CEO of The MirYam Institute, joins FDD’s Jonathan Schanzer to talk about Anthony’s recent IDF service inside The Gaza Strip, the pitfalls of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and the implications of President Trump’s recent hostage-focused tweet. Click here for video.