Israeli leaders have hailed a new decree issued by United States President-elect, Donald J. Trump declaring pertinent action on hostage-takers in the Middle East if Israeli hostages are not released in the Gaza Strip were released before his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Trump who made a statement on his social network, Truth Social demanded that the hostages be freed before his inauguration into office.
Trump’s address, per reports which was made to no recipients in particular despite uneasiness in Gaza, firmly stated that failure of the hostage-takers to release these hostages would attract what he termed as the ‘hardest hit’ the United States of America has ever inflicted on any target.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.” Trump said.
After a deadly attack on Israel in 2023, Hamas-led militants captured more than 250 people. Some have been released or freed but around half of them are still in Gaza, although at least a third of these are believed to be dead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many of his ministers publicly thanked Trump for his hard-hitting words.
“President Trump put the emphasis in the right place, on Hamas, and not on the Israeli government, as is customary (elsewhere),” Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.
