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Trump Warns Hamas Must Release Hostages 'Quickly' Or 'All Bets Are Off'

Hilary Hanson

Sat, October 4, 2025 at 7:13 PM UTC

1 min read

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Hamas “must move quickly” to release hostages taken in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, hinting at dire consequences if it fails to do so.

Trump’s comments followed the news that Hamas had partially accepted his peace plan to end the war in Gaza, including agreeing to release all hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said earlier this week that he fully accepted Trump’s plan.

On Friday, the president ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza to implement the plan’s first stages. Israel has since scaled back its attacks, though it had not ended its bombardment altogether as of Saturday morning, Reuters reported.

Smoke rises from Gaza City on Oct. 4, as Israel continues some attacks in the wake of Donald Trump's call to cease bombing.

Nevertheless, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he appreciated Israel had “temporarily stopped the bombing” to facilitate the release of hostages.

<span class="copyright">TruthSocial/@realDonaldTrump</span>

He urged Hamas to hold up its end of the bargain, warning that “all bets are off” otherwise.

“Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off,” he wrote. “I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly!”