Former US President Donald Trump criticized the prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas for not including US citizens among the first of around 50 hostages released since Friday.
“Has anyone noticed that Hamas has returned people from other countries but, so far, has not returned any American hostages?”, asked the tycoon on the social network he owns, “Truth Social”.
For Trump, this is synonymous with a “lack of leadership” from US President Joe Biden, as well as a “lack of respect” for the United States. He stressed that “this is a very sad and dark time in America.”
Around 240 people were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, but since Friday around 50 have been released, as part of an agreement between the Palestinian Islamist movement and Israel which, in return, also freed almost 100 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children.
The current agreement provides for a truce that will last at least until today, when Hamas will release 50 people. Israel, for its part, undertakes to release three Palestinian prisoners for each hostage.
The agreement itself provides for the extension of the truce for one day in exchange for 10 more hostages from the Islamist group.
