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If Hamas does not free the captives it is holding in Gaza by the time he takes office on January 20, President-elect Donald Trump threatened Tuesday that “all hell will break out in the Middle East.”

During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump stated, “And it will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good frankly for anyone.”

“We want to get back those hostages for Israel and for us,” Trump said.

“You know, we do have people that are hostages being held,” he said

“And I’ll just say it again, if this deal is not done with the people representing our nation, by the time I get to office, all hell is going to break out.”

If the hostages were not freed, Trump did not say what he would do.

It is estimated that there are still about 100 captives in captivity in Gaza, some of whom are thought to be dead.

On Monday, Hamas published a list of 34 captives whose names it stated it would be willing to free if the first stage of a possible ceasefire agreement with Israel.

As Steve Witkoff, Trump’s designated ambassador to the Middle East, informed reporters that talks in Doha, Qatar, to secure the release of hostages taken during the terror group’s deadly Oct. 7, 2023, incursion into Israel had made “a lot of progress,” Trump reiterated his threat.

Witkoff remarked, “I believe we’ve been on the verge of it,” after Trump brought him up to the podium to speak after spotting him in the back of the room.

Witkoff stated that he anticipated returning to Doha via plane either on Tuesday evening or on Wednesday morning.

Since Witkoff is not officially a representative of the U.S. government and Trump won’t take office for another two weeks, it was unclear what part he was playing in any negotiations.

As part of any agreement to free the detainees, Hamas earlier Tuesday declared that it was sticking to its demand that Israel completely cease its military actions against Gaza.

According to the Reuters news agency, Israel responds that the conflict will go on until the captives are freed and Hamas is destroyed.

“I don’t want to say too much” about the status of the talks in Doha, Witkoff said.

But, he added, “I’m really hopeful that by the inauguration we’ll have some really good things to announce on behalf of the president.”

He attributed the “driving the negotiations” to Trump’s “reputation, the things that he has said.”

“I think they heard him loud and clear, and to get done by the inaugural,” Witkoff said.

“Hopefully it’ll all work out and we’ll save some lives,” he added.

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