Trump has 'lost his patience' with Hamas: Rubio
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that President Trump has “lost his patience” with Hamas and advised the administration to turn up the pressure on the Palestinian militant group to release the remaining hostages.
In an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Rubio described the president’s “last warning” to Hamas earlier that day to release all the hostages, living and dead, immediately.
Rubio noted that message came after hosting eight former hostages at the White House.
“People don’t realize the president meets with these people, he hears their stories; he’s outraged and rightfully so,” Rubio told Sean Hannity.
“He’s tired of watching these videos every weekend where hostages that are emaciated are released and bodies are turned over, and sometimes it’s the wrong bodies, and there’s five here and three there, and there’s games that are being played,” Rubio continued, referring to recent exchanges amid the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. “And he’s lost his patience with it.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump took to Truth Social to issue a direct warning to Hamas, which still holds about 24 living hostages and the bodies of at least 35 others, according to Israeli officials. An American citizen, Edan Alexander, is understood to be among the living hostages still in captivity.
“Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
The president added in his post that he is “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.”
His warning came after the White House confirmed that the White House has authorized Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff to engage in direct talks with Hamas. The move is unprecedented and, according to The Associated Press, is the first known direct engagement the U.S. has had with Hamas since it was designated a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
Rubio said Trump’s message is consistent with his foreign policy approach, adding that he wished other foreign leaders would exert similar pressure on Hamas.
“He’s been very clear about this from the beginning. He’s created space and time for this to be solved. And now it’s time for seeing it come to an end. Enough of this already,” the secretary of state said. “These people have been in captivity now for over a year and a half. These are monsters. It needs to stop.”
“I wish there were more international pressure along the same lines here, but I’m glad he’s putting those statements out,” Rubio continued. “He doesn’t say these things and not mean it, as folks are finding out around the world."
He added, "So they’d better take that seriously.”
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