Washington: US President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he would consider taking a very hard stance against Gaza if the Israeli hostages are not released by Saturday noon, although he emphasized that the decision ultimately lies with Israel. "I don't know what's going to happen at 12 o'clock ... If it was up to me, I'd take a very hard stance," Trump mentioned to reporters in the Oval Office. According to Kuwait News Agency, Trump expressed uncertainty about Israel's actions but noted that Hamas has altered its position after initially threatening to delay the hostages' release. "Now I understand they've totally changed. Hamas has totally changed. They want to release hostages now again," he said. Hamas announced plans on Friday to release three Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian hostages on Saturday, as part of a ceasefire and prisoners exchange agreement. Trump further remarked, "I actually think they should release all of the hostages." Earlier this week, he set a deadline of Saturday, Febr uary 16, for the release of all remaining Israeli hostages, warning that "all hell is gonna break out" if the deadline is not met.
