Netanyahu, Israeli leaders praise Trump’s 'all hell to pay' vow, Gazans fear the worst

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday for issuing a toughly worded statement demanding that hostages held in the Gaza Strip be released ahead of his January 20 inauguration.

"Hamas is required to release the hostages. 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.

I want to thank President Trump for his strong statement yesterday about the need for Hamas to release the hostages, the responsibility of Hamas, and this adds another force to our continued effort to release all the hostages.Thank you, President Trump. pic.twitter.com/sm4gvEDnwi

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 3, 2024

Other Israeli leaders also hailed the pledge that there would be "hell to pay" in the Middle East unless hostages held in the Gaza Strip were released ahead of Trump's inauguration.

Israeli ministers lined up to thank Trump for his hard-hitting words.

"How refreshing it is to hear clear and morally sound statements that do not create a false equivalence or call for addressing 'both sides,' but rather clarify who are good and who are bad," said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

"This is the way to bring back the hostages: by increasing the pressure and the costs for Hamas and its supporters, and defeating them, rather than giving in to their absurd demands."

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said simply on X/Twitter, "Thank you, President Trump."

Likewise, the families of the missing hostages expressed their gratitude. "It is now evident to all: the time has come. We must bring them home NOW," the families forum said.

Reactions in Gaza

The reaction in Gaza was less enthusiastic.

Responding to Trump's post, senior Hamas official Basem Naim said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sabotaged all efforts to secure a deal that involved exchanging the hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

"Therefore, we understand (Trump's) message is directed first at Netanyahu and his government to end this evil game," he told Reuters.

Gaza political analyst Ramiz Moghani said Trump's threat was directed at both Hamas and its backer Iran and warned that it would embolden Israel to not only expel Palestinians from swathes of Gaza but also annex the nearby, "Israeli-occupied" West Bank.

"These statements have serious implications for the Israeli war in Gaza and the West Bank," he told Reuters.

Mohammed Dahlan, like hundreds of thousands of Gazans, has had to flee his house because of the fighting and is desperate for the war to end. But he said he was shocked by Trump.

"We were hoping that the new administration would bring with it a breakthrough... but it seems (Trump) is in complete agreement with the Israeli administration and that there are apparently more punitive measures ahead," he said.

Trump's vow

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel's south, massacring some 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip. Of the hostages, 100 are still held captive by Hamas terrorists and their associates in the Gaza Strip.

Writing on Truth Social on Monday, and without naming any group, Trump said the hostages had to be freed by the time he was sworn in.

If his demand was not met, he said: "Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America."