Before the first cabinet meeting of his current term, President Donald Trump addressed reporters, focusing on the recent return of four deceased hostages who had been held by Hamas.
Standing alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the President was asked about the likelihood of moving forward with the second phase of negotiations between Israel and Hamas. “I’m very disappointed when I see four bodies came in today. These were young people – young people don’t die. They (Hamas) think they’re doing us a favor by sending us bodies,” Trump stated.
He emphasized that the ultimate course of action lies with Israel’s leadership and reflected on the grim reality of the hostage situation. “We got a lot of hostages back but it’s very sad what happened to those people. We had a young lady with her hand practically blown off. Do you know why it blew off? Because she put up her hand to try to stop a bullet that was coming her way.”
The President described Hamas in stark terms, labeling them as “a vicious group of people,” and noted that Israel would have to determine its response. “Phase one is going to be ending. Think of it, today they sent in four bodies – bodies!” he stressed.
Trump shared that he had spoken to many families affected by the crisis and noted how deeply they felt about the return of the remains. “They want those bodies almost as much and maybe even just as much as they wanted their son or their daughter, it’s amazing,” he observed.
He also pointed out the severe physical toll on those who had been freed from captivity. “When I saw the ones who came in two weeks ago, they looked like they just got out of a concentration camp. Then the following week a group came in and they weren’t in as bad a shape,” he remarked.
Wrapping up his comments, Trump expressed his dismay over the situation. “Very sad situation. At some point, somebody’s going to say: ‘We got to do something about this,'” he concluded.
{Matzav.com}