President Trump sets a hard deadline for the return of hostages and offers an ultimatum: accept a U.S.-backed settlement or endure an unprecedented military response.
President Donald J. Trump on Friday issued a final, stark warning to Hamas: release all hostages by Sunday at 6 p.m. Washington time, including the bodies of those already killed, or face what he described as an “unprecedented” military assault aimed at annihilating the group’s remaining forces.
Speaking from the White House, Mr. Trump said most Hamas fighters were now encircled and “militarily trapped,” and that he was prepared to order their elimination if the deadline passed without agreement.
Mr. Trump framed the demand as both a test and a last-chance offer. He said a coalition of Israel, the United States and several Arab states had negotiated a peace package that would spare the lives of fighters who surrendered and would set out terms for a post-conflict Gaza.
“We will have a historic peace deal, or we will have an obliteration,” he said, calling on innocent Palestinians to move away from combat zones to safer parts of Gaza where, he said, humanitarian assistance and protection would be available.
The president reiterated his characterization of Hamas as a long-standing, violent threat and invoked the Oct. 7 attacks that precipitated Israel’s full-scale campaign. He claimed that more than 25,000 Hamas fighters had been killed in the ensuing operations and insisted that the remainder faced imminent destruction unless they accepted the proposal and released captives.
“Those who remain will be hunted down and killed,” he warned.
The public ultimatum raises immediate questions about civilian safety, the prospects for a negotiated ceasefire, and the response of regional actors who have been quietly involved in hostage diplomacy.
Mr. Trump offered no detailed timeline for how an assault would be executed should the deadline pass, nor did he provide public evidence for the casualty figures he cited. He framed the choice starkly: an internationally backed political settlement that includes prisoner exchanges and reconstruction, or sustained and intensified military action.
Humanitarian advocates cautioned that an abrupt escalation would heighten the risk to civilians trapped in densely populated areas of Gaza and complicate the delivery of aid.
Regional diplomats and mediators are likely to intensify behind-the-scenes efforts in the hours before the deadline, while military planners on multiple sides prepare for contingencies that could reshape the conflict’s next phase.
Meta description: President Trump issued a final ultimatum to Hamas—release all hostages by Sunday or face an “unprecedented” military assault—offering a U.S.-backed peace deal as an alternative while warning remaining fighters they are surrounded and at risk of annihilation.
