President Donald Trump said Palestinian militant group Hamas did not want to make a deal on a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza.
“They pulled out of Gaza. They pulled out in terms of negotiating. It was too bad Hamas, Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die,” Trump said from the White House before taking off for his trip to Scotland.
“Don’t forget, we got a lot of hostages out. So now we’re down to the final hostages, and they know what happens after you get the final hostages, and basically, because of that, they really didn’t want to make a deal,” Trump added.
According to Trump, Hamas was unwilling to compromise once the negotiations entered their final phase. He argued that Hamas doesn’t want to let go of the final hostages, because then they would lose their last line of defense against Israeli attacks.
“And I said, when you get down to 10 or 20, I don’t think Hamas is going to make a deal, because that means they have no protection,” he continued. “And basically, that’s what happened, Hamas didn’t want to make a deal. I think they’re going to be hunted down.”
The president’s remarks echoed his Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who announced yesterday that the US was recalling its negotiating team from Doha. Witkoff cited a recent response from Hamas that, in his words, “clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire.”
“I saw that, so they pulled out,” Trump said, “And they’re going to have to fight and they’re going to have to clean it up.”
Witkoff later posted on X that the United States would now “consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,” though he did not elaborate on what those options might be.
