&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'I'm watching': Trump sets 48-hour deadline for Hamas to return remains of Israeli hostages")
US President Donald Trump on Saturday asked Hamas to "quickly" return the bodies of deceased hostages held in Gaza, warning that failure to comply could lead to consequences. He noted that while he has said that "both sides would be treated fairly," this "only applies if they comply with their obligations."
Trump gives Hamas 48 hours
Asking the Palestinian militants to accelerate the return of the bodies of deceased hostages held in Gaza, Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that while Hamas has returned the remains of 15 hostages, the bodies of 13 others — including two Americans — remain in the group’s custody. He suggested that some remains could be returned immediately, even as the terror group claims it cannot access all of them.
Trump framed his comments within a broader vision of Middle East peace, calling the current situation "a very strong PEACE in the Middle East" with potential to be "EVERLASTING." He emphasised that the ongoing efforts to stabilise Gaza involve multiple countries working together and suggested that regional partners could take direct action if Hamas fails to cooperate.
"Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action. Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not," Trump wrote. "Perhaps it has to do with their disarming," he speculated, adding, "when I said, 'Both sides would be treated fairly,' that only applies if they comply with their obligations".
"Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely," he stated.
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Egypt to recover remains
According to reports, as part of the efforts, the Israeli government has approved a request from Egypt to allow Egyptian personnel and equipment to enter Gaza to assist in recovering the remains of slain hostages. Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post that teams and equipment have now entered the territory. Other reports suggest that Israel was preparing for the possibility that Hamas may release the remains of two more hostages soon.
