Trump Warns Hamas as Pressure Mounts Over Ceasefire and Hostage Bodies

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — US President Donald Trump on Saturday issued a stern warning to Hamas, saying the militant group would be held accountable if the fragile ceasefire with Israel collapses, while urging it to swiftly return the bodies of deceased hostages still held in Gaza.

Trump made the comments in a social media post shortly before meeting Qatar’s emir and prime minister aboard Air Force One. Qatar played a key mediating role in brokering the ceasefire deal earlier this month.

The agreement requires Hamas to return all hostages — both living and dead — as part of the truce framework.

So far, Hamas has released 20 surviving hostages and the remains of 15 others, while the bodies of 13 captives remain unreturned. The group claims some bodies are inaccessible amid the ongoing destruction in Gaza, but Israeli officials maintain Hamas can locate and deliver most of them.

“There is currently a very strong peace in the Middle East,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “But Hamas must quickly start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, or the other countries involved in this great peace will take action.”

He added that while some of the remains may be difficult to retrieve, others are “ready to be returned,” suggesting that Hamas’s hesitation could be linked to its reluctance to disarm — another clause in the ceasefire deal.

“Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely,” he warned.

Following Trump’s statement, senior Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya told Qatar’s Al Jazeera that new teams would enter previously inaccessible areas of Gaza to search for the remaining hostages’ bodies, stressing that Hamas did not want to provide Israel “any excuse” to reignite the conflict.

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have intensified their own search for the missing remains within the parts of Gaza under their control. According to Israeli broadcaster Kan, security officials informed families of deceased captives that engineering equipment would soon be sent into Gaza to assist in locating the bodies.

Overnight, a convoy of Egyptian vehicles carrying heavy machinery was filmed entering Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis to aid in the recovery efforts, according to AFP.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly authorized the Egyptian team’s entry, while Turkish rescuers awaiting approval in Egypt have not yet been permitted to join the mission.

Under the ceasefire terms, Hamas was expected to return all 48 remaining hostages — alive and dead — in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. However, only 15 of the 28 deceased captives have been recovered so far, with Hamas requesting international assistance to locate those still buried beneath Gaza’s ruins.

On Saturday night, thousands of Israelis held nationwide rallies demanding the swift return of the remaining deceased captives, urging continued pressure on Hamas.

Israeli media reported that two more bodies could be handed over within the next 24 hours.