President Trump said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “You do whatever you want,” regarding the ongoing hostage release and ceasefire negotiations. However, he did not specify when this conversation took place. Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Trump addressed the deadline he had set for Hamas to release all hostages—a deadline that passed without consequences. For the first time, he acknowledged that his warning was prompted by Hamas’s initial refusal to release three hostages as part of the agreed terms. In recent days, U.S. officials have suggested that Trump’s threat played a role in pressuring Hamas to follow through with the release. However, his demand for all hostages to be freed conflicted with the official deal, which only required Hamas to release three individuals on Saturday. Trump, when making his initial warning of “hell raining down” on Hamas, later clarified that Israel would ultimately decide how to respond. He stated that Hamas complied and freed the three hostages, including American citizen Sagui Dekel-Chen, because of his ultimatum. He also remarked that the hostages released over the weekend appeared to be “in pretty good shape,” unlike those freed earlier, whom he controversially compared to “Holocaust survivors.” Regarding the next steps in the negotiations, Trump stated, “That’ll be up to Israel… in consultation with me.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)