Trump warns Hamas to return bodies of Israeli hostages, says he is ‘watching very closely’ over next 48 hours
US President Donald Trump told Hamas it must hand over the bodies of deceased hostages quickly, or Arab countries working on a “great peace” plan will take action. The warning came on Truth Social late Saturday night, when Trump said the group must return the remains of 13 Americans and other victims as soon as possible.
Trump wrote that some bodies are hard to reach, but others can be returned right away. He added he is “watching this closely” and will see what Hamas does in the next 48 hours.
All living hostages have already been freed from Gaza, but the remains of 15 of the 28 deceased hostages listed in the U.S.-proposed ceasefire have not been returned. Hamas said it has handed over every body it can access and that extra “special equipment” is needed to recover more.
The president’s post followed a meeting aboard Air Force One in Doha with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Qatar has helped broker ceasefire talks in Gaza and is a key partner in Israeli‑Egyptian security efforts. Trump praised the emir as “one of the great rulers of the world” and said he discussed the Gaza peace deal during the stopover.
Earlier on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Rubio and Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with families of Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, two U.S. citizens killed in the Oct 7 attacks. Israeli officials said Egypt has sent a team with digging equipment to Gaza to help locate the missing bodies.
Hamas’s refusal to hand over all remains has drawn criticism from both Israel and the United States. The U.S. and Arab nations say a complete return of bodies is a crucial step toward a lasting ceasefire.
In short, Trump’s message underlines that the return of deceased hostages remains a sticking point in Gaza peace talks, and that the U.S. and Arab partners will act if Hamas does not comply.
Source: ianslive
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