Trump says US might lose patience with ceasefire deal over Israeli hostages' appearance

By Joey Roulette and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Trump on Sunday said he was losing patience with the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas after seeing footage of the Palestinian militant group release Israeli hostages over the weekend, whose appearance he compared to Holocaust survivors.

Trump's reaction to seeing images of the three hostages, who appeared gaunt upon their release on Saturday, brought fresh uncertainty over the deal's fate before all remaining 76 hostages are freed and came days after the president called for the removal of Palestinians from the enclave and for the U.S. to take control of it.

"They look like Holocaust survivors. They were in horrible condition. They were emaciated," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl. "I don't know how much longer we can take that ... at some point we're going to lose our patience."

"I know we have a deal ... they dribble in and keep dribbling in ... but they are in really bad shape," Trump said of the Israeli hostages.

Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, who were taken hostage from Kibbutz Be'eri during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, who was abducted that day from the Nova music festival, were led onto a Hamas podium by gunmen on Saturday ahead of their release to Israeli authorities.

The three men appeared in worse condition than the 18 other hostages previously freed under the truce, which was agreed to on January 15 months into the war. Many Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel have also appeared thin and emaciated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday the sight of the frail hostages was shocking and would be addressed. In exchange for the three men, Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday.

Trump also told reporters he remained committed to having the U.S. buy and take ownership of Gaza after Palestinians leave or are removed from the enclave, a surprise announcement he made February 4 during Netanyahu's recent visit to Washington. He said other countries may take part in rebuilding sections of Gaza.

"As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back.”

(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Stephen Coates)