Trump Urges Hamas to Surrender, Release Hostages to End Gaza Conflict Swiftly

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President Donald Trump issued a forceful message on Thursday, calling for Hamas to immediately surrender and release hostages as the surest path to ending the ongoing war in Gaza. His remarks, delivered via a Truth Social post, mark a clear shift in his stance on the humanitarian crisis in the region.

“The fastest way to end the humanitarian crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!” Trump wrote.

This statement comes amid intensifying debates over responsibility for the humanitarian toll in Gaza. Trump’s call puts the burden squarely on the terrorist organization, Hamas, distancing himself from earlier comments where he acknowledged starvation in Gaza, remarks that contrasted with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firm denials.

“There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza,” Netanyahu asserted in a recent video statement, reaffirming his commitment to both defeating Hamas and rescuing the remaining hostages.

The message from Trump aligns with voices emphasizing the necessity of Hamas’ dismantlement as a precondition for lasting peace. Anne Bayefsky, President of Human Rights Voices and Director at the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, told Fox News Digital, “There are two ways to end the war: terminate Hamas or terminate the Jewish state… President Trump quite rightly says, hell no; the Palestinian terrorist machine needs to be ended for the sake of Israelis, Palestinians and the rest of us.”

Trump’s comments follow stalled ceasefire negotiations in Qatar last week, after both American and Israeli delegations withdrew due to what they described as Hamas’ unwillingness to engage seriously. U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Hamas showed “a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza” and accused the group of failing to act in good faith.

“It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way,” Witkoff stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.”

As diplomatic efforts struggle, international figures recently unveiled the “New York Declaration,” signed at a United Nations conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. The document outlines a roadmap for peace that includes disarming militant groups and transferring control of Gaza and the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority. It praises mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, but makes no mention of the Jewish state or Jewish history.

Bayefsky criticized the declaration as a “no-holds-barred attack” on both the U.S. and Israel, claiming it aims to derail longstanding American foreign policy. “In this very long document that includes talk about Islamic claims, there is zero reference to a Jewish state, to Jews, or Jewish history – or to antisemitism, the driver of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the first place,” she said.

Israel rejected the declaration outright, while the United States declined to attend the conference. U.S. officials deemed the meeting counterproductive.

“No token recognition and no U.N. resolution will change the basic fact that there are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces and then there are those who turn a blind eye to them or resort to appeasement,” Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said.

Echoing that sentiment, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce described the conference as a “publicity stunt” that risks prolonging the conflict, emboldening Hamas, and undercutting practical peace efforts.

Trump’s latest remarks underscore a growing divide between Western diplomatic overtures and more hardline approaches that view Hamas’ defeat, not compromise, as the only realistic path to stability in the region.