U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday welcomed the release of Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, Iair Horn and Israeli-Russian Alexander “Sasha” Troufanov from Hamas captivity, noting that unlike previous releases, the freed hostages appeared to be in “good shape.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that the U.S. had set a deadline for the release of all hostages by 12:00 p.m. He added, “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!” Trump did not specify a time zone, but his post was published after 12:00 p.m. Israeli time, suggesting he was referring to Eastern U.S. time (7:00 p.m. in Israel).
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to hold a security consultation at 7:00 p.m. local time on the next phase of negotiations, according to his office. The meeting, attended by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and senior members of Israel’s negotiating team, would discuss the possibility of expanding the deal.
Trump also pointed out that Hamas’ decision to release the hostages contradicted earlier claims by the terrorist group. Last week, Hamas announced it would halt hostage releases, accusing Israel of violating the agreement, only to reverse its stance after further negotiations.
