Hamas stood by its demand on Tuesday that Israel fully end its assault on Gaza under any deal to release hostages, and said U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was rash to say there would be "hell to pay" unless they go free by his Jan.

A Hamas leader told Newsweek that "we can go to an agreement immediately" if Israel changed its course on negotiations.

Israel says Hamas has not provided any information about the status of those 34 hostages, dampening any notion that the endorsement is a step toward a deal to stop the war.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas and other Iranian proxies invaded Israel, massacring more than 1200 people and taking hundreds of people hostage. In response, Israel launched a military operation in Gaza with the express aim of destroying the U.S.-designated terrorist group. For more than a year, many in the press have been regurgitating Hamas propaganda.

It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone,” the president-elect warned during a press conference in Mar-a-Lago Tuesday.

Facing international condemnation and pressure to free the chief of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Israel released a brief interrogation video backing up its claim that militants used the hospital as a base.

Israel and Hamas are once again struggling to reach a ceasefire that could wind down the 15-month war in Gaza and bring home dozens of Israelis held hostage.

Hamas has threatened to prosecute US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his alleged role as “a partner in the war of extermination” in Gaza after the official blamed the terror

About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage in the unprecedented attack, which triggered a massive Israeli military campaign in Gaza. A hundred and five of the hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in November 2023. Fifty other hostages have been released, rescued or their bodies recovered.

Pope Francis on Thursday stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful".