The Palestinian militant group will be destroyed if the remaining hostages are not released, the US president said

Hamas must release the remaining Israeli hostages or face certain destruction, US President Donald Trump has warned. He issued the threat after the talks about further prisoner swaps between Israel and the Palestinian armed group reportedly stalled. 

"Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you," the president wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.

Trump added that he was "sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job."

"This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance," he wrote. "Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!"

Hamas has released 38 captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners since a ceasefire was signed in January. Israeli authorities believe that at least 22 people are still being held in Gaza, according to Axios.

The first phase of the truce expired on Sunday, and both sides have been accusing each other of non-compliance. The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday that the talks about further swaps were not moving forward. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told CNN on Wednesday that Trump's threats would "complicate matters regarding the ceasefire agreement." 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed that the US was negotiating directly with Hamas for the first time. "Israel was consulted on this matter," she told reporters on Wednesday. 

Last month, Trump proposed to transform the devastated Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East" and suggested that neighboring Arab states should take in the majority of the embattled enclave's Palestinian population. Arab nations rejected the plan and put forward an alternative reconstruction program for Gaza, which was then rejected by the US and Israel.

The war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October 2023, when Palestinian militants carried out a surprise attack on Israeli cities, leaving some 1,200 people dead and taking around 250 hostages. More than 48,000 Palestinians have since been killed during Israel's operations in Gaza.