Trump says he's ‘trying to help very strongly’ to return Israeli hostages from Gaza

President-elect declines to answer question about pre-emptive Iran strike in first press conference since election win

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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday held his first press conference since winning the election on Nov. 5. During a broad discussion of the challenges facing his incoming administration, Trump emphasized that he has not forgotten the hostages in Gaza.

“There is a light shining over the world. We are trying to help very strongly in getting the hostages back, as you know – Israel, the Middle East,” Trump said.

He also said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a phone call over the weekend but did not go into detail about what he described as a "recap call.” He said the "real conversations will start" after he takes office on Jan. 20, 2025.

“We had a very good talk,” Trump said. "And we discussed what is going to happen, and I’ll be very available on January 20, and we’ll see.”

He later added, "We had a really good conversation, and I think we're going to be in a good place in the Middle East.”

Netanyahu had previously described the call as warm and friendly.

During the press conference, Trump also reiterated his previous ultimatum to Hamas.

"As you know, I gave warning that if these hostages aren't back home by that date, all hell is going to break out," Trump said.

When asked what he meant by this, Trump declined to provide specifics.

“Well,” he said, referring to the terror group, “they’re going to have to determine what that means, but it means it won’t be pleasant. It’s not going to be pleasant.”

During the press conference, Trump was asked by a reporter, “Are you entertaining the idea of preemptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities?”

“I can’t tell you that,” he responded: “I mean, it’s a wonderful question, but how can I?”

Hostage negotiations have been stalled for months, with little progress since Hamas rejected the terms being negotiated during the summer, and after Israel insisted on remaining in the Philadelphi Corridor, the border area between Gaza and Egypt.

While many in the Israeli press have blamed Netanyahu for the lack of progress, several Biden administration officials recently admitted that Hamas is the main obstacle to reaching a deal.

Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden recently dispatched several senior aides to the Middle East in a final effort to secure a long-sought hostage release ceasefire deal.

At his final Hanukkah party at the White House, Biden claimed that he was still working to achieve a hostage release.

“I’ve gotten over 100 hostages out. I will not stop until I get every single one of them home,” Biden claimed, as several people cheered.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that a deal with Hamas for the release of hostages is “closer than ever.”

“Israel is closer than ever to another hostage deal,” Katz was quoted as saying, before noting that the less he said about the deal, the better.

More than 100 hostages were freed during the November 2023 deal with Hamas or through Israeli military rescue operations. Of the almost 100 still held in Gaza, roughly half are believed to be alive.