Trump picks Abraham Accords negotiator as special envoy for hostage affairs

Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas to free the hostages by January 20 or there would be ‘hell to pay.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

President-elect Donald Trump named Abraham Accords negotiator Adam Boehler as special envoy for hostage affairs.

Along with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Boehler negotiated the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco.

Boehler thanked Trump in a post on X/Twitter for the “opportunity and honor to serve you and our great nation. There is nothing more important than bringing Americans home. Under @realDonaldTrump’s leadership, there will finally be action and consequences. We will BRING THEM HOME.”

The appointment of the special envoy for hostage affairs comes days after Trump issued a strong ultimatum to Hamas to free the hostages by January 20 or there would be “hell to pay.”

On Monday, he wrote on his Truth Social platform, “Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World in the Middle East – But it’s all talk and no action!”

“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released before January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity. Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” Trump wrote.

Trump’s remarks earned praise from Israeli ministers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said, “President Trump put the emphasis in the right place, on Hamas, and not on the Israeli government, as is customary [elsewhere],” Netanyahu said Tuesday at the beginning of a cabinet meeting.

Hostage families also thanked Trump for his support.

“The Hostage Families Forum extends its gratitude to President-elect Trump for his clear and uncompromising message. It is now evident to all: the time has come. We must bring them home NOW,” the forum said.

“We call on both the current and incoming US administrations to act without delay and exhaust every opportunity to bring all the hostages home—those alive for rehabilitation, and those murdered for proper burial.”