Trump: Gaza a very difficult area; Hamas pledges to fulfill commitments on returning hostages’ bodies

U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged the difficult conditions in the Gaza Strip and said he expects Hamas to honor its commitments.
He made the remarks while addressing Gaza during a White House press conference on Thursday about drug prices in the United States.
Trump said the United States is monitoring events in the Strip and that conditions in Gaza have eased.
On Thursday, families of Israeli captives urged their government to halt implementation of the next stages of the exchange agreement and the ceasefire in Gaza until the remaining bodies of captives held by Hamas are recovered.

“This area (Gaza) is very difficult. We know their commitments (Hamas), and I assume they will fulfill them. I hope so,” Trump added.
He reiterated that conditions in Gaza are “very difficult,” and said: “They returned some bodies today, but they also said they would act according to the agreement.”
Since Monday, Hamas has released 20 live Israeli captives and handed over the bodies of 10 out of 28, most of whom were Israeli, and says it needs special equipment to search for and recover the remaining 18 bodies.

“We will see if they act accordingly. If they do, no problem. If they don’t, we will take care of it,” Trump said.
Hamas, for its part, says it is making a large effort to close the file on the bodies of the Israeli captives, explaining that it needs special equipment and techniques to search under the rubble and retrieve the remaining remains.
The prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas is part of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that came into effect on October 10.
The agreement is based on a plan proposed by Trump, whose country supported what the article describes as a genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza since October 8, 2023, which it says killed 67,967 people and wounded 170,179, most of them children and women, and caused a famine that claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.