President-elect Trump reiterated his warning that serious consequences will follow if the hostages are not released before his inauguration on January 20th. He was referring to the approximately 96 hostages held by Hamas, with only about 50 believed to be still alive, including three Americans. Trump’s statement, made alongside Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, emphasized that a failure to secure the hostages’ release by his inauguration would trigger significant unrest in the Middle East. He declined to elaborate on the nature of these consequences, despite being pressed by reporters.

Witkoff, who has been working with the Biden administration and representatives from Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and Hamas, is to travel to the Middle East to continue ceasefire negotiations. Despite previous unsuccessful attempts over the past 14 months resulting in further hostage deaths, Witkoff expressed cautious optimism about achieving a breakthrough before the inauguration, emphasizing the significant influence of President-elect Trump’s pronouncements on the negotiations. He believes the president-elect’s reputation and statements are key drivers in these talks. In addition to the approximately 50 hostages believed to be alive, Hamas is also suspected of holding additional hostages who were killed during captivity or during the October 7, 2023 attacks.