U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday demanded the immediate release of the 48 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and condemned the recognition of a Palestinian state by several Western countries, calling it a reward for terrorism.
“I have also been deeply engaged in seeking a ceasefire in Gaza, we have to get that done, have to get it done. Unfortunately, Hamas has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace, and we can’t forget October 7,” Trump said in his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
“Now, as if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7, even while they refuse to release the hostages,” he continued.
“This could have been solved so long ago, but instead of giving in to Hamas ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: Release the hostages now,” said Trump.
Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was rejecting half-measures and demanding that Hamas immediately release all of the captives.
Rubio also dismissed media reports that Washington had received a letter from Hamas requesting a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 10 Israeli hostages.
“We haven’t seen the letter, we don’t have that letter, and even if we did, it wouldn’t matter,” said Rubio. “The president’s already made clear: He’s not interested in 60 days, 10 people. He wants all the hostages out, all 48, including the 20 who are alive.”
On Friday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the Hamas-led invasion and massacre in Israel’s south on Oct. 7, 2023, “was genocide at the highest level.”
“Babies were chopped in half, arms were cut off people, heads were cut off people—that’s genocide,” he said.
Trump was asked about the hostages in Gaza and whether a ceasefire would be the best way to secure their release.
The president somewhat disagreed, saying that the captives might be freed through military force as well. “A lot of strange things happen [in war]. A lot of results take place that you would never think were going to happen,” he noted.
During his address on Tuesday, Trump laid out a “very simple” stance on Iran, insisting that “the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapon.”
Trump noted that shortly after taking office, he sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader offering full cooperation in exchange for suspending the country’s nuclear program. The regime rejected the overture and instead persisted in threatening U.S. interests and allied nations in the region, the president said.
“Today, many of Iran’s former military commanders—in fact, I can say almost all of them—are no longer with us, they’re dead,” Trump said, referring to the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, during which U.S. forces struck Iranian nuclear facilities.
“Three months ago in ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ seven American B-2 bombers dropped 14 30,000-pound H-bombs on Iran’s key nuclear facility, totally obliterating everything,” the president said.
