President Donald Trump revealed on Tuesday that he is contemplating a visit to the Middle East, though he emphasized that such a trip is not imminent.
“We’re thinking about going to the Middle East, not yet,” Trump remarked to journalists gathered at the White House.
He then turned his attention to the recent return of hostages, describing the toll their captivity had taken. “The hostages are coming back. Some of them have been very, you know, very damaged. You look at the young lady with her hand practically blown off. You know how that happened, right? Did you know that? But when you find out, you’re not going to be too happy because it was terrible. But the hostages are starting to come back,” he said, referring to Emily Damari, who was freed from Hamas custody on Sunday. Damari, along with Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher, was among those released. Emily lost two fingers in the October 7 Hamas assault.
Trump credited his leadership for the hostages’ release, asserting, “if I weren’t here, they wouldn’t be back ever. They would have all died.” He laid responsibility for the devastating events of October 7 on his predecessor, Joe Biden, claiming, “It should have never happened. October 7th should have never happened. Nobody should be dead. But through weakness, they allowed it to happen. And then it was a disaster from there.”
Additionally, Trump maintained that the ongoing hostage release deal would not have come to fruition without his direct involvement.
“You go back just six months ago, many of these young people were living. You know, young people don’t die like that. They’re just dying. And young people aren’t dying at 22 and 23 years old. They don’t die. But now they’re dying. And you wonder why they’re dying? They’re being killed and they have been killed. But they say six months ago, you would have had 11 more living hostages. Think of that – six months ago. But Biden couldn’t get it done. And it was only the imposition that I put on as a deadline that got it done. But it’s it’s a very sad situation. It should have never happened,” Trump explained.
On Monday, Trump celebrated the return of hostages at a victory event at Washington’s Capital One Arena, where he hosted families of those held by Hamas, along with individuals who had been rescued or released.
“The work begins. We won, but now we have to bring them home,” he said. He went on to address the experiences of those who had returned, stating, “Some of the folks here are former hostages. Not a good situation. The three young ladies who came home—they were hurt. One had her fingers blown off. She was trying to defend herself from a bullet, can you believe this? A bullet.”
Expressing continued support, Trump added, “I don’t know, it’s a disgrace. We never stopped praying for you. We’re so glad you’re reunited with your friends and families.” He also acknowledged the pain of those still mourning, saying, “Some just want us to bring home their son’s body. It should have never happened.”
Trump’s involvement in the issue of Gaza hostages began in early December 2024 when he warned that severe consequences would follow if they were not freed by his January 20 inauguration.
“There would be all hell to pay,” he declared at the time. In the weeks leading up to his swearing-in, Trump reiterated this warning repeatedly. Last Thursday, speaking ahead of the finalization of a deal in Qatar, Trump once again underscored the importance of completing the agreement before his inauguration.
“We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office,” Trump stated in an interview with Dan Bongino. “We shook hands, and we signed certain documents, but it better be done,” he emphasized.
In an interview with NBC News over the weekend, Trump discussed the ceasefire agreement and the progress on the hostage situation. When asked how certain he was that the hostages would be released, he responded, “Well, we’re going to see very soon, and it better hold.” He also shared advice he gave to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, saying, “Just keep doing what you have to do. You have to have — this has to end. We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done.”
{Matzav.com}