Shafaq News – Doha

US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Hamas to begin returning the bodies of Israeli hostages deceased in Gaza, warning that Arab countries involved in peace efforts could intervene if the group does not comply.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump stressed that Hamas must immediately return the hostages’ bodies, including two Americans, noting that while some remains are difficult to access, others could be returned now, “and for some reason, that is not happening.”

“Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching closely,” he added.

The post came after a meeting on Air Force One with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a refueling stop in Doha, before Trump continued his journey to Asia.

He noted that the discussion focused mainly on the recently implemented Gaza peace deal.

The ceasefire agreement, signed on October 13 in Cairo, calls for an immediate halt to hostilities in the Strip, an Israeli withdrawal from populated areas, and the reopening of border crossings for humanitarian aid. Under its terms, Hamas released the last 20 hostages captured on October 7, 2023, in exchange for Israel’s release of 1,718 detainees from Gaza and 250 Palestinian prisoners. The deal also required the return of 28 hostages’ bodies to Israel.

Hamas has returned 15 of the deceased hostages, emphasizing that recovering the remaining bodies would demand “significant effort and specialized equipment.”

Read more: Trump warns US would act against Hamas if “killings resume in Gaza”