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Trump Warns ‘All Hell to Pay’ in Middle East if Gaza Hostages Not Released Before He Takes Office
Then-Republican presidential nominee and current US-President-elect Donald Trump looks on during a rally at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, in Uniondale, New York, US, Sept. 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday vowed there will be “all hell to pay” in the Middle East if the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas does not release all of the remaining hostages in Gaza before his inauguration next month.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social. “Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity.”
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” he added.
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists kidnapped over 250 hostages during their invasion of and massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7, dragging them into neighboring Gaza. There are currently 101 captives remaining in the Palestinian enclave, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Calls to strike a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas have grown over the past few days.
On Saturday, Hamas released a new propaganda video showing Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander. In the video, Alexander calls on Trump to leverage “the full power of the US” to strike a deal with Hamas to release him and the other hostages.
Following the release of the footage, Alexander’s father, Adi Alexander, appeared at a rally and urged outgoing US President Joe Biden, Trump, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to broker a deal to secure his son’s freedom.
“Today, I speak as not just a father, but as the voice of my son and the other hostages whose lives hang in the balance,” Adi Alexander said. “Every day in captivity is an eternity of suffering for him and every hostage, both physically and emotionally.”
“President Biden, President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, I call on all of you to act,” Alexander continued. “This is not a moment for politics or hesitation. This is a moment for courage, collaboration, and decisive actions.”
Alexander also called on Trump to make an “impact” on the ongoing hostage negotiations, arguing that the president-elect does not have to wait until he is sworn into office to make a difference.
Members of the incoming Trump team have reportedly communicated with Alexander’s family, following the release of the hostage video.
Then on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed that Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, and his body was taken by terrorists into Gaza. Neutra was initially presumed to be among the living captives.
“Omer’s life story and dedication represent the best and strongest we have built as a nation,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X/Twitter.
Katz added that Neutra was killed during a battle at the Nir Oz kibbutz on Oct. 7. Katz did not reveal how the IDF figured out the nature of Neutra’s death.
Hamas is still holding the bodies of three other Israeli-Americans and three Israeli-Americans believed to be alive.
Trump has reportedly pressed Israel to wrap up the ongoing war in Gaza and secure a release of the remaining hostages before his inauguration. US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close ally of the president-elect, told the news outlet Axios that Trump is “determined” to resolve the “hostages issue” as soon as possible.
“Trump is more determined than ever to release the hostages and supports a ceasefire that includes a hostage deal. He wants to see it happening now,” Graham said. “I hope President Trump and the Biden administration will work together during the transition period to release the hostages and get a ceasefire.”
Biden said in a statement on Monday that American “hearts are heavy today” upon learning the news of Neutra’s death.
“Omer was just 21 years old when he was taken by Hamas. He was serving as a tank commander in an Israel Defense Forces unit that was among the first to respond to Hamas’s campaign of cruelty — risking his life to save the lives of others,” Biden said.
“During this dark hour — as our nation joins Omer’s parents, brother, and family in grieving this tragic loss — we pray to find strength and resilience,” Biden added. “To all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you, and I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong.”
Last week, the United States announced a renewed effort to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Along with Israel and Hamas, the negotiations will include American partners such as Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar.
“Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with the hostages released and an end to the war without Hamas in power,” Biden stated on X/Twitter.
A delegation representing Hamas arrived in Cairo on Sunday. Representatives for the terrorist group claimed that they were fielding offers for a “a ceasefire or prisoner exchange deal.”
Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 14 that the underlying conditions to strike an agreement with the terrorist group have “improved,” citing the recent ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, the Israeli premier insisted that the Jewish state will continue to prosecute the war in Gaza until Hamas has been eliminated.
“[I’m] ready for a ceasefire at any moment. But ending the war, I’m not ready for that, because we also need to achieve the elimination of Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
The post Trump Warns ‘All Hell to Pay’ in Middle East if Gaza Hostages Not Released Before He Takes Office first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
The Israeli army said on Saturday that a missile fired from Yemen towards Israeli territory had been “most likely successfully intercepted,” while Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the launch.
Israel has threatened Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement – which has been attacking Israel in what it says is solidarity with Gaza – with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel persist.
The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group was responsible for Saturday’s attack, adding that it fired a missile towards the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.
Since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade.
Most of the dozens of missiles and drones they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
The post Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Large crowds of mourners dressed in black lined streets in Iran’s capital Tehran as the country held a funeral on Saturday for top military commanders, nuclear scientists and some of the civilians killed during this month’s aerial war with Israel.
At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those mourned at the funeral, according to state media, including armed forces chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Force chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Their coffins were driven into Tehran’s Azadi Square adorned with their photos and national flags, as crowds waved flags and some reached out to touch the caskets and throw rose petals onto them. State-run Press TV showed an image of ballistic missiles on display.
Mass prayers were later held in the square.
State TV said the funeral, dubbed the “procession of the Martyrs of Power,” was held for a total of 60 people killed in the war, including four women and four children.
In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei’s son Mojtaba.
“Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honor and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post.
There was no immediate statement from Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. In past funerals, he led prayers over the coffins of senior commanders ahead of public ceremonies broadcast on state television.
Israel launched the air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders as well as civilians in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.
Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites, infrastructure and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
TRUMP THREAT
Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said it aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
Iran denies having a nuclear weapons program. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons program in Iran.
Bagheri, Salami and Hajizadeh were killed on June 13, the first day of the war. Bagheri was being buried at the Behesht Zahra cemetery outside Tehran mid-afternoon on Saturday. Salami and Hajizadeh were due to be buried on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would consider bombing Iran again, while Khamenei, who has appeared in two pre-recorded video messages since the start of the war, has said Iran would respond to any future US attack by striking US military bases in the Middle East.
A senior Israeli military official said on Friday that Israel had delivered a “major blow” to Iran’s nuclear project. On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that Israel and the US “failed to achieve their stated objectives” in the war.
According to Iranian health ministry figures, 610 people were killed on the Iranian side in the war before a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday. More than 4,700 were injured.
Activist news agency HRANA put the number of killed at 974, including 387 civilians.
Israel’s health ministry said 28 were killed in Israel and 3,238 injured.
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Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival
Revellers dance as Avril Lavigne performs on the Other Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
i24 News – Chants of “death to the IDF” were heard during the English Glastonbury music festival on Saturday ahead of the appearance of the pro-Palestinian Irish rappers Kneecap.
One half of punk duo based Bob Vylan (who both use aliases to protect their privacy) shouted out during a section of their show “Death to the IDF” – the Israeli military. Videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) show the crowd responding to and repeating the cheer.
This comes after officials had petitioned the music festival to drop the band. The rap duo also expressed support for the following act, Kneecap, who the BCC refused to show live after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – better known by stage name Mo Chara – was charged with a terror offense.
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