'Only sick, twisted people keep bodies,' Trump says to Hamas, but what about Israel?

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - US President Donald Trump threatened the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Wednesday with “severe consequences” if it continued to hold up Israeli captives and the bodies of dead hostages.

He, however, ignored the fact that Israel still withholds the bodies of 665 Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire, including some killed decades ago.

“Shalom Hamas” means Hello or Goodbye – You can choose. Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you," he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!”

Observers say that the US president ignores the fact that Israel is still withholding the bodies of hundreds of people killed by its forces, including some since the 1960s.

According to the National Campaign to Retrieve Martyrs' Bodies, a Palestinian non-governmental organization, Israel withholds 665 dead bodies in the so-called “Cemeteries of Numbers” and morgues.

The so-called “Cemeteries of Numbers” are unmarked graves bordered with stones, each bearing a metal plate with a number instead of the deceased’s name. The numbers correspond to individual files kept secretly by Israeli security authorities.

- Swap deal

Among the withheld bodies are 259 Palestinians killed before the outbreak of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. There are also bodies of 67 people who died in Israeli jails, bodies of 59 children under the age of 18, and nine bodies of Palestinian women.

These figures do not include the bodies of Palestinians detained in Gaza during the Israeli war, as there is no available information about their exact number.

According to figures released by the Israeli media, there are bodies of over 1,500 Palestinians held in the notorious Sde Teiman prison in the Negev in southern Israel.

Ignoring these Israeli practices, Trump vowed to provide all necessary support to Israel.

“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” Trump said.

“Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”

Trump has repeatedly called to “take over” Gaza and resettle its population to develop it into a tourist destination. His plan was rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.

More than 48,400 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 111,800 others injured in a brutal Israeli war since October 2023. The onslaught, which left the enclave in ruins, was paused under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold on Jan. 19.

The three-phase agreement includes prisoner swaps under which all Israeli captives – alive and dead – will be returned in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

So far, 25 Israeli hostages and eight bodies have been released in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, refused to enter negotiations for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Instead, he wants to extend the first six-week phase of the deal.

The Israeli government halted the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza on Sunday, shortly after the first phase of the ceasefire deal ended.

Hamas has refused to proceed under these conditions, insisting that Israel abide by the terms of the ceasefire and immediately start negotiations for the second phase, which includes a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a complete halt to the war.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.