Steve Witkoff meets Qatari officials in Doha as president-elect warns of ‘hell to pay’ without Israel-Hamas deal

Doha has been hosting negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza war that would include freeing hostages that Hamas abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel

Donald Trump threatened to unleash “hell” if the Hamas hostages are not released soon, as Biden officials note “constructive” discussions with the transition team.

President-elect Donald Trump warned that if the hostages whom Hamas is still holding in Gaza are not released by his inauguration on January 20, “all hell will break out in the Middle East” – offering one more stark indication of how much the incoming president would prefer to avoid inheriting the Israel-Hamas war as he prepares to take office in less than two weeks.

Donald Trump’s forthright warning that “all hell will break out” if Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists fail to release the remaining Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza marks an important change of direction from the vacillation that defined the Biden administration’s approach.

Doha has been hosting negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza war that would include freeing hostages that Hamas abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Doha is capital of

A Hamas leader told Newsweek that "we can go to an agreement immediately" if Israel changed its course on negotiations.

The president-elect did not elaborate on what actions he might take if the captives are not released by the time he takes office.