US President Donald Trump is asked by a reporter in the Oval Office about the status of the mediated hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
“We’re in very deep negotiations with Hamas. We said, ‘let ’em all out, right now, let ’em all out, and much better things will happen'” Trump says, adding that if Hamas doesn’t return the captives from Gaza “it’s going to be a tough situation, it’s going to be nasty… Israel’s choice, but that’s my opinion.”
Referring to parents of the slain hostages, who Trump describes as “young beautiful dead people,” he says they “want them every bit as much — almost more — than as if their son or daughter were alive. But you have many dead people that are coming out as part of the deal.”
He says that of the at least 20 hostages believed to be alive, “there could be some that recently died, is what I’m hearing. I hope that’s wrong.”
Trump reiterates the point he made in a Truth Social post Thursday, in which he called on Hamas to release the remaining living hostages immediately, indicating that the US could accept the terror group’s survival if it does so.
“I was the one who, myself and my people, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner was great on this — but they got a lot of people out,” Trump continues, suggesting his son-and-law who was a senior White House adviser during his first term was involved in the negotiations.
“I always said when you get down to the final 10 or 20 you’re not going to get them out unless you’re going to do a lot. And doing a lot means capitulation, that’s no good either. It’s a very tough situation.”
He says “people forget October 7… you have to put that into the equation very strongly.”
Trump also comments on the “big demonstrations” in Israel backing a hostage deal, saying they “put Israel in a tough position” by making it harder to “prosecute a war.”
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