WASHINGTON (BN24) — President Donald Trump warned Friday that Hamas would be “hunted down” as ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian group appeared to falter, with U.S. officials blaming Hamas for the breakdown in talks.
Speaking from the White House, Trump claimed Hamas was refusing a truce because it feared the consequences of releasing the remaining Israeli captives. “We’re down to the final hostages, and they know what happens after you get the final hostages,” Trump said. “Because of that, they really didn’t want to make a deal.”
The president’s remarks suggested that neither the U.S. nor Israel were prepared to support a permanent ceasefire, but rather sought a temporary pause in fighting to secure the release of the last Israeli captives in Gaza. “Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die, and it’s very, very bad,” Trump added.
U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff earlier announced Washington’s decision to withdraw from the ongoing mediation efforts in Qatar, accusing Hamas of showing “a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire.” Israel also pulled out its delegation, stalling the months-long push for a truce.
Hamas responded with frustration, saying it had made a “sincere commitment” to the efforts of mediators Qatar and Egypt and that its stance was “constructive and positive.” The group continues to demand a permanent ceasefire, in contrast to Israel’s declared intent to resume its military campaign once the hostages are freed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently reaffirmed that Israel’s military goal in Gaza remains unfinished, telling reporters during a visit to Washington earlier this month that Israel “still has to finish the job.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, disclosed that the military plans to use any ceasefire period to move hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to a camp in southern Gaza, in what rights groups warn is a step toward mass forced displacement. Trump himself, in February, proposed depopulating Gaza to remake it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” — a plan legal experts have condemned as a form of ethnic cleansing.
As large swaths of Gaza lie in ruins under relentless Israeli bombardment and bulldozing, international criticism has intensified over the worsening humanitarian catastrophe. Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned Israel’s aid blockade as a “violation of international law,” and French President Emmanuel Macron announced France’s intention to formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the U.N. General Assembly in September.
Trump, however, dismissed Macron’s statement before departing for the United Kingdom, saying, “It doesn’t carry any weight. What he says doesn’t matter. It’s not going to change anything.”
The war has left Gaza devastated, with human rights organizations warning that displaced Palestinians under threat of starvation and bombing have no real agency in choosing to leave. Despite the U.S. rhetoric about peace, Trump on Thursday signaled more violence ahead. “They’re going to have to clean it up,” he said. “You’re going to have to get rid of it.”
