Trump issues 'last warning' urging Hamas to release hostages

U.S. President Trump has issued an ultimatum to the Palestinian militant group Hamas about its fate should it fail to release all remaining hostages taken by them.

Lee Eun-jin has more.

Taking to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump issued what he called a "last warning" to Hamas to release the hostages being held in Gaza.

In his lengthy post, Trump said there would be "hell to pay" if the hostages were not released.

Trump did not specify the nature of actions he might take if Hamas failed to comply but said he was "sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job" and that "not a single Hamas member will be safe" if they don't do as he says.

This is not the first time that Trump has threatened Hamas. Back in December, he said there would be "hell to pay" if hostages were not released by the time he took office.

Trump's 'last warning' came after he met with a group of hostages at the White House who had recently been released under the Gaza ceasefire deal.

It was also hours after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the U.S. has indeed been negotiating with Hamas directly.

She added that Israel had been consulted about the talks.

The direct negotiations, held in secret, were an effort by the U.S. to secure the release of the remaining hostages, which according to Israeli officials stands at 59, of which 24 may still be alive, including one American citizen.

U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler, who, according to the White House, has the authority to talk directly with Hamas, reportedly met with the group's representatives in Doha, Qatar in recent weeks.

This breaks a longstanding U.S. policy against negotiating, or hodling direct talks, with groups that it identifies as terrorist organizations.

The United States has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization since 1997 and has long refrained from direct engagement.

It remains unclear who represented Hamas at the talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office released a statement confirming that Israel had conveyed its stance on direct talks with Hamas to the United States but did not provide further details.

Hamas has not responded to requests for comment on the reported negotiations.

Lee Eunjin, Arirang News.