In a video shared by the White House on Monday, US President Donald Trump compared the released Israeli hostages to ‘Holocaust survivors’. In the video, Trump said, “Hamas has been a disaster. By the way, I have to tell you that I watched the hostages come back today and they looked like Holocaust survivors. They were in horrible condition. They were emaciated.”
Trump further added, “How much longer we can take that when I watch that? I know we have a deal where we’re supposed to get, they dribble in and keep dribbling in, but they are in really bad shape. They have been treated brutally, horribly. Even the ones that came out earlier, they were in a little bit better shape, but mentally they were treated so badly. Who could take that? You know, at some point we’re going to lose our patience. When I see that scene that I saw today with people coming out of helicopters and airplanes that are emaciated that look like they haven’t had a meal in a month. No reason for that.”
“Hamas has been a disaster… I watched the hostages come back today. And they looked like Holocaust survivors, they were in horrible condition. They were emaciated… I don't know how much longer we can take that.” –President Trump pic.twitter.com/Ku7gHaEjvk
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 9, 2025
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In his remarks, Trump further added, “I don’t know how much longer we can take it. I don’t know how long we can take it. When I watch people that were healthy people a reasonably short number of years ago and you look at them today, they look like they’ve aged 25 years. They literally look like the old pictures of Holocaust survivors, the same thing. I mean, the same thing. I don’t know how long we’re going to take that.”
Earlier US President had shared on Sunday his plans for the US to redevelop Gaza, saying that he viewed the war-torn enclave as a “big real estate site”, CNN reported. “I think that it’s a big mistake to allow people — the Palestinians, or the people living in Gaza — to go back yet another time, and we don’t want Hamas going back. And think of it as a big real estate site, and the United States is going to own it and we’ll slowly — very slowly, we’re in no rush — develop it. We’re going to bring stability to the Middle East soon,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while he had travelled for the Super Bowl in New Orleans, CNN reported.
During the visit of the Israeli PM to US, during a joint press conference with Trump, Netanyahu had stated, “I’m honoured that you (US President Donald Trump) invited me to be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in your second term. This is a testament to your friendship and support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people.”
Praising Trump’s friendship and support for Israel, he added, “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, you are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. And that’s why the people of Israel have such enormous respect for you.”
