Trump’s ‘pay hell’ ultimatum is responsible for reaching an agreement on the release of the Israeli hostages
Trump’s return to office raises hope for hostages
Ronen and Orna Neutra, whose son Omer was killed by Hamas, join ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss the cease-fire agreement and Hamas’ preparations to release hostages amid President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office.
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his return to the White House, a long-awaited cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas is unfolding – offering hope to the families of the hostages, despite some calling it a “deal with the devil”.
“Before President Trump was elected, that is [the deal] is stuck,” Ronen Neutra, whose son Omer was killed by Hamas terrorists, told Fox News on Sunday.
“Let’s face it, the fact that President Trump has had a clear message, ‘By the time I’m inaugurated, I want to see the hostages out, or there will be hell to pay,’ has had a huge impact in the Middle East, and we’re hoping that with his leadership we’ll see all 98 hostages coming out starting today with three hostages.”
“We know their family and we’re very emotionally involved in this and we’re thrilled to see them get out,” he said.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media after meeting with Republican senators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In a Truth Social post last year, Trump promised “hell to pay” if the remaining Hamas prisoners were not released by his inauguration date. The message offered a glimmer of hope to the families of some of the prisoners, including the one who called the message “exactly the type of language we’ve been missing.”
Ronen and the son of his wife Orna Omer, the commander of the tank platoon of the IDF and an American from Long Island, New Yorklong believed to be one of Hamas’ captives, was recently determined to have been killed by the terrorist group on October 7, 2023.
His parents, who have remained open about their demands that the hostages be returned to safety, plan to attend Trump’s inauguration in Washington, DC, on Monday.
Ahead of the ceremony, hostages Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen and Emily Damari were freed in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on Sunday.
Orna Neutra reacted to the announcement during a special pre-inauguration Sunday broadcast of “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
“We’ve become one family, all the hostage families. We’ve been going through this crazy roller coaster of emotions for 15 months, and we’ve heard so much about these young women. We’ve gotten really close to their families, and we’re very, very, very excited and full of anticipation that we will get to know them and hopefully see them rehabilitate and move on with their lives,” she said.
The release of additional hostages is planned for the second phase.
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They are Palestinians similarly celebrating agreement on a cease-fire in Gaza.
“This is a deal with the devil,” said Ronen Neutra. “Those people, the terrorists, killed 1,200 people in one day — the worst day in Israeli history since the Holocaust, and they killed, at that moment, 45 Americans, so of course it’s horrible to see them celebrating now, but you know We celebrate because we believe in the dignity of death, and we believe that every soul is important to fight for, and we will bring all 98 people back under the leadership of President Trump.”
“We trust him. We know he will do it,” he added. “We know that they will push all partners in the region, in the Middle East, to ensure that those 98 come back – including our son. We have to give our son a proper burial. He deserves it.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
