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US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said that Washington is engaged in "very deep" talks with Hamas and urged the group to release all hostages currently held in Gaza.
"We are in very deep negotiation with Hamas," Trump told reporters, warning that the situation would be "tough" and "nasty" if Israeli hostages remain in captivity. "We said let them all out, right now let them all out. And much better things will happen for them but if you don't let them all out, it's going to be a tough situation, it's going to be nasty," Trump said, adding that Hamas was "asking for some things that are fine." He did not provide further details regarding the negotiations or the specific demands from Hamas. The remarks follow an announcement in August by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that President Trump would lead a White House meeting to discuss a "comprehensive plan" for managing Gaza after the war, highlighting the administration's ongoing efforts to address both immediate and post-conflict issues in the region. As per Times of Israel, this was the first time Witkoff revealed the existence of a US plan for post-war management. "Many people were going to see how robust it was and how well-meaning it was, and it reflected President Trump's humanitarian motives," Witkoff said in a Fox News interview, without elaborating further. Witkoff also reiterated the Trump administration's official position on the ceasefire deal, which he said was to oppose additional partial Gaza hostage deals. Earlier, Trump had backed this stance when he posted on Truth Social hours after Hamas accepted the Arab mediators' latest proposal on August 18, which stated that the hostages would only be freed after Hamas was dismantled entirely. However, the White House stated that it was reviewing the latest phased hostage deal proposal, as reported by the Times of Israel. Despite Hamas' acceptance of the 60-day proposal, Witkoff blamed the terrorist organisation for the lack of a deal to date, alleging that they had "slow-played that process" last month. Witkoff suggested that Hamas's acceptance of the deal came after Israel had put heavy pressure on them. "It was Hamas who said they accepted that deal, and I think in large part they said that and changed their mind because the Israelis were putting some very intense pressure on them," Witkoff told Fox, without saying whether Israel should have done the same. Israel had not accepted the deal and was conducting a ground operation to wipe out the Hamas organisation as part of their Gaza evacuation plan. Israeli attacks across Gaza had killed at least 61 people since dawn Monday, including seven seeking aid. Gaza's Civil Defence said Israel had destroyed 1,000 buildings in Gaza City since August 6, trapping hundreds under rubble, while ongoing shelling and blocked access routes had prevented rescue and aid operations. (ANI)
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