America’s enemies never sleep. Trump wants to change that.
Because he vowed total destruction of foreign terrorists in an earth shattering announcement.
Trump Endorses Israel’s Gaza Offensive, Links Hostage Release to Hamas Defeat
President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post on August 18, declared that the release of approximately 50 hostages still held in Gaza depends on the defeat of Hamas, stating, “We will only see the return of remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.”
The statement aligns with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand military operations in Gaza City, a move that has sparked significant domestic opposition in Israel.
Trump’s Call for Hamas’s Destruction
Trump’s remarks, which included a claim of having “negotiated and got hundreds of hostages freed and released into Israel (and America!),” follow a January-March 2025 ceasefire deal that saw Hamas release 30 hostages—20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, five Thai nationals, and the bodies of eight slain captives, per the Times of Israel. A single American-Israeli dual citizen was freed in May as a gesture to the U.S. Trump emphasized a decisive approach, adding, “Play to WIN, or don’t play at all!”
Mass Protests in Israel
On August 17, nearly 500,000 Israelis protested in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, with total nationwide participation nearing one million, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. The demonstrations, which included strikes, business closures, and road blockages, demanded an immediate ceasefire and the safe return of hostages. Families of captives spoke, expressing fears that a planned Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) offensive in Gaza City could endanger the estimated 20 living hostages out of the 50 still held, per Israeli military figures.
Netanyahu’s Gaza Strategy
Netanyahu, in an August Fox News interview with Bill Hemmer, outlined Israel’s strategy to fully occupy Gaza City by October 7, 2026, the third anniversary of Hamas’s 2023 attack that k*lled 1,219 people and took 251 hostages.
“We intend to in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free in Gaza, and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas or anyone advocating for the destruction of Israel,” he said. Israel currently controls about 75% of the Gaza Strip, with plans to establish a security perimeter and transfer governance to an Arab-led administration unaffiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
“We don’t want to keep it, we want to have a security perimeter,” Netanyahu clarified. “We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us.”
Evacuations and Ongoing Conflict
The Israeli plan has prompted some Gaza City residents to evacuate, as reported by the Jerusalem Post, ahead of the anticipated IDF offensive. Netanyahu highlighted local resistance to Hamas, telling Hemmer, “You met Palestinians who are fighting Hamas because finally they see that they have a future that can rid themselves of this awful tyranny that not only holds our hostages but holds 2 million Palestinians in Gaza hostage.”
The Gaza Health Ministry, cited by the United Nations, reports over 62,000 Palestinian deaths since Israel’s response to the October 2023 attack began.
Ceasefire Talks and Public Reaction
Hamas recently accepted a 60-day ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar, involving the release of 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, per a Times of Israel source. However, Netanyahu insists on a comprehensive deal requiring Hamas’s disarmament, Gaza’s demilitarization, and full hostage release, rejecting partial agreements.
