Donald Trump, the incoming president of the United States, issued a warning on Tuesday that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are not freed before his inauguration on January 20.
As the new president gets ready to take office in less than two weeks, Trump’s latest warnings provided yet another clear indicator of how much he would love to avoid inheriting the Israel-Hamas war.

“It won’t be beneficial for Hamas or anyone else. All hell will burst loose. “I don’t have to say anymore, but that’s what it is,” Trump said in remarks at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, adding that the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, “should have never happened.”
Trump’s pick to serve as special convoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about the condition of negotiations to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that would ensure the release of the captives, saying negotiators were “making a lot of progress.”

“This negotiation is driven by the president, his reputation, and his statements; hopefully, it will all work out and we will save some lives,” Witkoff added.
According to reports, Officials from President Joe Biden’s administration are leading the negotiations, while their incoming Trump counterparts are being kept fully informed of any advances.

Following Trump and Witkoff’s remarks, a senior Biden administration official struck a more cautious tone, stating that the negotiations are still “difficult.”
The official, who declined to speak further on the status of the talks, stressed that, despite Witkoff’s appearance that an agreement by January 20 was possible, the talks are difficult.
The Biden administration is still in “close coordination” with the incoming Trump national security team, they added.

According to a senior Democrat close to the White House, Biden’s top national security advisors are doubtful of reaching an agreement before the president leaves office. “They’re all skeptical.
For more than a year, the Biden administration has unsuccessfully attempted to mediate a cease-fire in Gaza.
The first ceasefire, which occurred weeks after the October 7 attack, resulted in the release of scores of captives; however, subsequent attempts to halt the combat and secure the release of other hostages have failed.