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| - On Jan. 15, 2025, the Qatari government announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal after 15 months of war. In response, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump posted "We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East" on his social media platform, Truth Social.
However, many people online highlighted (archived here and here) comments Trump made a week before the deal was announced, in which he said "all hell will break loose" if Hamas did not return the hostages by the time he took office on Jan. 20, 2025. Posts on X shared a video "flashback" from days prior, with the text, "Trump says if the hostages 'are not back by the time I get into office, all hell is gonna break out'. And what do you know, Israel and Hamas just agreed on a ceasefire and hostage deal."
Trump did indeed say the above words, speaking at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Jan. 7, 2025. As such, we rate this claim a correct attribution.
Trump made the comment in response to a journalist asking about the state of negotiations between Israel and Hamas. He was joined by Steve Witkoff, his pick to serve as the special envoy to the Middle East, who said negotiators were "making a lot of progress" and "hopefully it will all work out and we'll save some lives." Witkoff also credited Trump's "stature" as driving the negotiation.
A journalist then asked Trump and Witkoff to clarify past remarks about how "all hell must be paid" if Hamas did not release the hostages, to which Trump said, while briefly addressing Witkoff:
I don't want to hurt your negotiations, [but] if [the hostages] are not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East. And it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out. I don't have to say anymore, but that's what it is.
Trump's statement appears at the 43:33 mark:
The journalist was likely referencing a December 2024 post (archived) on Truth Social where the president-elect, without referencing Hamas, wrote:
Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East - But it's all talk, and no action! […] If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity.
Trump and President Joe Biden both took credit for the ceasefire deal.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: "This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies."
In a speech at the White House, Biden said the deal was made under "the precise contours" of a plan he proposed in May 2024. He also said, "My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done."
Biden also referenced the role of Trump's team in the talks: "I'd also note, this deal was developed and negotiated under my administration, but its terms will be implemented, for the most part, by the next administration. For these past few days, we've been speaking as one team."
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