President Trump says Hamas has 48 hours to return hostage remains before other nations will ‘take action’

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was giving Hamas 48 hours to return the hostage remains still in Gaza. 

Trump’s message came during a refueling stop in Doha, Qatar, while on his way to Asia for meetings with leaders in Japan and Malaysia. 

“We have a very strong PEACE in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being EVERLASTING,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action.” 

Trump also repeated Israel’s claim that Hamas has access to more bodies than it is returning. 

“Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,” Trump wrote. “Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, “Both sides would be treated fairly,” that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.” 

President Trump did not define what action the countries would take if Hamas does not return the bodies within the 48-hour period. In the past, the U.S. president has also made vague threats towards Hamas which do not express any clear consequences for failing to abide by his demands. 

At the same time, Israeli authorities greenlighted the entry of an Egyptian team into Gaza to aid Hamas in locating and removing the remains of other deceased hostages. The team reportedly entered Gaza on Saturday, bringing two heavy engineering vehicles to help with digging in the devastated enclave. 

Israel estimates that Hamas does not know the location of around five of the deceased hostages, but claims that Hamas does have access to another eight bodies that it has not yet handed over. Israeli authorities believe Hamas is delaying the release of the remains in order to buy time before discussions concerning their disarmament.

On Saturday, head of Hamas' negotiating team, Khalil al-Hayya, said the group would enter new areas in the search for the hostage remains. Speaking to the Qatari Al Jazeera news agency, he said that Hamas “will not give Israel an excuse to renew the war.” 

Hamas deputy leader Mousa Abu Marzouk also told Al Jazeera, “We are committed to returning all the bodies we can reach. The Trump administration is the guarantor of the deal and we expect it to act fairly. Excluding Hamas from Gaza’s security responsibility may lead to chaos and a security vacuum.” 

Public broadcaster Kan News reported that the IDF is engaged in searches for hostage remains in the areas of the Gaza Strip still under its control. Authorities are expecting to bring heavy equipment into the Strip to help in the search for the remains. 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the families of the two slain Israeli-American hostages, Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, during his short stay in Israel. 

Alongside Ambassador Mike Huckabee, Secretary Rubio assured the families that the U.S. is pursuing all avenues to bring back the remains of the deceased hostages. 

“We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas,” Rubio posted to his official 𝕏 account. “Today I met with the families of American citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra. We will not rest until their – and all – remains are returned.” 

We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas. Today I met with the families of American citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra. We will not rest until their — and all — remains are returned. pic.twitter.com/wdxN9vLXZ8

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) October 25, 2025

Ambassador Huckabee also shared a picture from the meeting, praising Secretary Rubio’s visit as “very productive in moving forward” with President Trump’s Peace plan. 

However, Huckabee stated, “before the plan can work, ALL hostages must be released!”