President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Hamas on Saturday, saying the group will face “consequences” if it fails to return the bodies of deceased hostages under the terms of the recent ceasefire with Israel.
Speaking aboard Air Force One in Qatar, where he met with the emir and prime minister, Trump said Hamas “must quickly resume handing over the bodies” or risk collapsing the fragile truce.
The agreement requires Hamas to return all hostages — living and dead. So far, it has released 15 bodies and 20 surviving captives, while the remains of 13 others remain unreturned.
Trump praised Qatar as a key mediator and said it may contribute troops to an International Stabilization Force in Gaza. He credited the success of recent peace efforts to the Israel-Iran war earlier this year, saying the conflict “made peace possible.”
Thousands rallied in Israel Saturday night demanding the return of the final hostages. Israeli officials, joined by Egyptian and Qatari teams, are now searching Gaza for remains.
“If the ceasefire collapses, Hamas will be to blame,” Trump warned. “If it doesn’t hold, they’ll have a very big problem.”
