Trump: Hamas Must Surrender and Release Hostages to End Gaza War Swiftly

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US President Donald Trump has issued a forceful statement calling on Hamas to surrender and release hostages, declaring it the quickest path to ending the war in Gaza. Posting on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said, “The fastest way to end the humanitarian crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!”

Trump’s comments represent a notable shift in tone. While he recently acknowledged the severity of conditions in Gaza, suggesting there was “real starvation”, his latest statement places full responsibility on Hamas, aligning more closely with the Israeli government’s position.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently denied accusations of a humanitarian blockade, stating in a video message, “There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza, and I assure you that we commit to achieving our war goals.” Netanyahu reiterated his government’s twin aims of dismantling Hamas and rescuing the hostages.

Human rights expert Anne Bayefsky, President of Human Rights Voices and Director at the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, supported Trump’s stance. Speaking to Fox News Digital, she said, “There are two ways to end the war: terminate Hamas or terminate the Jewish state… President Trump quite rightly says, hell no; the Palestinian terrorist machine needs to be ended for the sake of Israelis, Palestinians, and the rest of us.”

Trump’s remarks come as US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, meets with Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Their discussions are focused on both the humanitarian situation and the possibility of a ceasefire agreement. Negotiations in Qatar collapsed last week after both US and Israeli delegations withdrew, citing Hamas’s unwillingness to reach a deal.

“Hamas demonstrated a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza,” Witkoff stated on X (formerly Twitter). “It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.”

Meanwhile, a recent international summit co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia resulted in the signing of the “New York Declaration.” The document, published by the Times of Israel, calls for the unification of Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, and the disarmament of armed groups, implicitly targeting Hamas.

Although the declaration praises mediation efforts by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, it has faced criticism for its omission of references to Jewish history or the Jewish state. Bayefsky was particularly scathing, describing the document as “a no-holds-barred attack on the United States as well as Israel, intended to completely derail President Trump’s foreign policy and long-standing bipartisan commitment to a negotiated settlement.”

She added, “In this very long document that includes talk about Islamic claims, there is zero reference to a Jewish state, to Jews, or Jewish history, or antisemitism, the driver of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the first place.”

Israel has formally rejected the declaration, and the US declined to attend the conference, dismissing it as “unproductive and ill-timed.”

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon stated, “No token recognition and no UN resolution will change the basic fact that there are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces and then there are those who turn a blind eye to them or resort to appeasement.”

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce echoed those sentiments, calling the conference a “publicity stunt” that would “prolong the war, embolden Hamas and reward its obstruction, and undermine real-world efforts to achieve peace.”

Trump’s message reflects a firmer position on Gaza than some recent international proposals, framing Hamas’s surrender as the only practical path to ending the conflict and restoring security for both Israelis and Palestinians.