Trump warns 'all hell will break out' if Gaza hostages not released by his inauguration

President-elect Donald Trump warned Tuesday that "all hell will break out in the Middle East" if Hamas does not release the hostages it is holding in Gaza by the time he is inaugurated on Jan. 20.

"And it will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good frankly for anyone," Trump said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

"We want to get back those hostages for Israel and for us," Trump said.

"You know, we do have people that are hostages being held," he said "And I'll just say it again, if this deal is not done with the people representing our nation, by the time I get to office, all hell is going to break out."

Trump did not specify what action he would take if the hostages were not released.

Nearly 100 hostages are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, with some of those people presumed to be dead.

Hamas on Monday released a list with the names of 34 hostages that the group said it is willing to release in the first stage of a possible ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Trump re-issued his warning as Steve Witkoff, his designated envoy to the Middle East, told reporters that there has been "a lot of progress" in negotiations in Doha, Qatar, to win the release of hostages seized during the terror group's deadly Oct. 7, 2023, incursion into Israel.

"I believe we've been on the verge of it," said Witkoff, after Trump spotted him in the back of the room and called him up to the podium to speak.

Witkoff said he expected to fly back to Doha on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

It was unclear what role Witkoff was playing in any talks, given that Trump does not take office for another two weeks, and Witkoff is not formally a U.S. government representative.

Earlier Tuesday, Hamas said it was standing