People return home after being evacuated due to fighting in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on August 29, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that if the hostages were not freed before he assumes Office as President of the United States, there would be "all hell to pay" in the Middle East. Trump added that “those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America."

It is believed that 97 of the 251 Israelis and foreigners abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the Israel Defense Forces.

A The Hamas delegation discussed a ceasefire in Gaza with Egyptian intelligence officials, two officials from the Palestinian group told AFP on Monday.