The Week: Trump’s Hamas Ultimatum

• We’ve made our view clear. But we look forward to finding out what dead animal shows up at HHS.

• President Trump has delivered an ultimatum, warning that if Hamas does not release all of the remaining 76 hostages by noon on Saturday, “all hell is gonna break out.” The announcement came after Hamas had said it was pausing future hostage releases because of dubious claims that Israel had violated the current cease-fire. During his Super Bowl interview, Trump expressed frustration with the current cease-fire agreement under which hostages were released just a few at a time, over the course of weeks. His impatience only grew after seeing the images of emaciated hostages who were just released (“like Holocaust survivors”). The ultimatum is unlikely to trigger immediate “hell,” as Hamas has returned to saying it will release the hostages on the schedule that had already been agreed to. There are indications that Israel will continue abiding by the six-week first phase of the cease-fire deal. However, Trump’s comments indicate that Israel will not face U.S. pressure to make further concessions to Hamas. Trump’s comments also suggest that if the war does resume on March 1, at the end of the current cease-fire, Israel will be able to operate with much more flexible rules of engagement. Hamas will not be able to say it wasn’t warned.

About the Author

NR Editors

NR Editors includes members of the editorial staff of our magazine and website.

• We’ve made our view clear. But we look forward to finding out what dead animal shows up at HHS.

• President Trump has delivered an ultimatum, warning that if Hamas does not release all of the remaining 76 hostages by noon on Saturday, “all hell is gonna break out.” The announcement came after Hamas had said it was pausing future hostage releases because of dubious claims that Israel had violated the current cease-fire. During his Super Bowl interview, Trump expressed frustration with the current cease-fire agreement under which hostages were released just a few at a time, over the course of weeks. His impatience only grew after seeing the images of emaciated hostages who were just released (“like Holocaust survivors”). The ultimatum is unlikely to trigger immediate “hell,” as Hamas has returned to saying it will release the hostages on the schedule that had already been agreed to. There are indications that Israel will continue abiding by the six-week first phase of the cease-fire deal. However, Trump’s comments indicate that Israel will not face U.S. pressure to make further concessions to Hamas. Trump’s comments also suggest that if the war does resume on March 1, at the end of the current cease-fire, Israel will be able to operate with much more flexible rules of engagement. Hamas will not be able to say it wasn’t warned.