U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the roughly 50 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza will be released only after the militant group is “confronted and destroyed.” In a post on his Truth Social platform dated 18 August, Trump argued that the “sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success,” and credited his prior negotiations for securing the freedom of “hundreds of hostages” earlier in the war. Israel estimates that of the 251 people abducted during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 assault, 148 have been returned through previous cease-fire agreements, leaving about 50 still captive—20 of whom are believed to be alive. Trump’s comments echo Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence that any cease-fire must include Hamas’s dismantlement and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip. The statement comes as Egyptian and Qatari mediators seek to restart indirect talks aimed at a broader truce and prisoner exchange. A Qatari delegation arrived in Cairo over the weekend to pursue a framework that could halt fighting while addressing Israel’s demand for the hostages’ release and Hamas’s calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Trump’s intervention adds pressure to negotiations that have struggled to bridge the gap between Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas’s military capabilities and the militant group’s insistence on a phased cease-fire and prisoner swap. It also signals continued U.S. engagement in the high-profile hostage issue as the conflict nears its two-year mark.