Trump Issues “Last Warning” to Hamas as Gaza Conflict Escalates

Washington, Sept 2025 : US President Donald Trump on Sunday issued what he described as a “last warning” to Hamas, demanding that the Palestinian militant group accept a deal to release hostages held in Gaza.

“The Israelis have accepted my terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning,” Trump declared on social media, without providing further details.

Shortly after, Hamas released a statement saying it was prepared to “immediately sit at the negotiating table,” acknowledging what it called “some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement.”

New Proposal Circulating

According to Axios, White House envoy Steve Witkoff sent Hamas a fresh proposal last week for a potential ceasefire and hostage release arrangement. While the White House has not disclosed the specifics, Trump suggested on Sunday that progress was being made.

“You’ll be hearing about it pretty soon,” he told reporters. “We had some very good discussions. Good things could happen. I think we’re going to have a deal on Gaza very soon.”

This is not the first time Trump has sought to pressure Hamas. In early March, he issued a similar ultimatum, insisting the group release all remaining hostages and return the bodies of those killed. At the time, he warned that failure to comply would mean “it is OVER for you.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign group advocating for the release of captives, welcomed Trump’s latest intervention, calling it a “true breakthrough.”

The Hostage Crisis

Hamas fighters abducted 251 people during their October 7, 2023 assault on Israel. Of those, 47 are still believed to be held in Gaza. The Israeli military says 25 of them are dead, and it is seeking the return of their remains along with the release of survivors.

The fate of the hostages has become a central and deeply emotional issue in Israel, fueling both political pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and international involvement from Washington and other capitals.

Escalation in Gaza

Even as negotiations appeared to show faint signs of progress, violence in Gaza intensified. On Sunday, Israel’s air force struck a residential tower in Gaza City—the third such high-rise targeted in as many days—amid what Netanyahu described as a “deepening” of the military campaign in the enclave.

Mohammed al-Nazli, a witness to the attack on the Al-Roya tower, said the blast “felt like an earthquake.” Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that at least 48 people were killed in Israeli strikes that day alone.

Israel has justified the targeting of large buildings by claiming Hamas used them as observation posts. The military had previously leveled two other towers under the same rationale.

Netanyahu said roughly 100,000 residents had already fled Gaza City but accused Hamas of blocking further evacuations and of using civilians as “human shields.”

Mounting Humanitarian Toll

The escalating conflict has exacerbated fears of worsening humanitarian conditions for Palestinians in Gaza. Protesters in Israel on Saturday called on their government to halt the military push into Gaza City, worried that such operations could endanger hostages believed to be held there.

The October 7 attack, according to Israeli figures, killed 1,219 people, most of them civilians. Israel’s subsequent offensive has claimed at least 64,368 Palestinian lives, the majority also civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The United Nations considers those figures credible.

A Pivotal Moment

As Trump raises the pressure on Hamas with his “last warning,” both sides face stark choices. For Israel, the challenge remains how to free the hostages while continuing its military campaign. For Hamas, the decision could determine not only the fate of captives but also the trajectory of the war itself.

For now, the world watches closely as diplomacy and violence collide in one of the most volatile stages of the conflict.