Trump says he has eyes on Hamas to keep returning hostages

President Trump said he’s watching Hamas over the next few days as he calls for them to release more bodies of hostages as part of his ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

“We have a very strong PEACE in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being EVERLASTING,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday. “Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action.”

“Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,” he said. “Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.”

Returning the hostages, both alive and dead, is the first part of Mr. Trump’s 20-point plan that Israel and Hamas agreed to. Israel must release Palestinians from Israeli prisons as well.

So far, Hamas has returned 15 of 28 hostages.

U.S. officials who have been in Israel throughout the last week, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, have talked positively of the ceasefire lasting, while also acknowledging that it’s a tough situation.

However, Mr. Trump told reporters Saturday while on his way to Malaysia that the blame would be on Hamas if the ceasefire doesn’t hold.

“I think it will hold. Well, if it doesn’t hold, that would be Hamas,” he said. “Hamas will be not hard to take care of very quickly. I hope it holds for Hamas too because they gave us their world on something so I think it’s going to hold and if it doesn’t then they’ll have a very big problem.”

His remarks came after a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, while Air Force One refueled in Doha.

He praised the Qataris for being a part of the stabilization force and helping keep the peace in the region, saying the force will be in place “pretty quickly.”

“They’re doing it right now. They’re actually picking leaders right now,” he said. “You’re going to have peace in the Middle East. This is real peace.”