Trump sets 48-hour ultimatum for Hamas to return captives' bodies

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Hamas must “quickly” resume returning the bodies of deceased captives to 'Israel', warning that the group could face consequences if it fails to do so within the next 48 hours.

According to 'Israeli' officials, Hamas has so far handed over the remains of 15 captives, while the bodies of 13 others are still being held in Gaza.

The group has stated that it cannot access all of the remains and does not know the locations of some, a statemnt 'Israeli' officials have dismissed as false.

“We have a very strong PEACE in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being EVERLASTING,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“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,” he said. “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not.”

The US president added, “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.”

In a related development, Trump said Qatar has expressed willingness to contribute to a future peacekeeping mission in Gaza. The announcement came after Trump’s meeting in Doha with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as part of the US president’s Asia tour.

Trump praised Qatar as a “great ally of the United States” and noted that its potential participation could help stabilize post-war Gaza and support ongoing diplomatic efforts to sustain peace in the region.