After United States President Donald Trump pressured Israel to a lopsided ceasefire deal with Hamas in January, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote: “What Mr. Trump has done here is going to plague him for the rest of his tenure in office! Just watch and see if it doesn’t happen that way—unless he dramatically changes course.”

Yesterday, we got a dramatically changed course.

On March 5, a delegation of eight Israeli ex-hostages held audience with Mr. Trump in the White House. Hamas released six of them—Doron Steinbrecher, Eli Sharabi, Naama Levi, Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov and Keith Siegel—as part of the January ceasefire deal. Aviva Siegel and Noa Argamani were freed months earlier. During the audience, which was open to the press, President Trump listened as the former hostages recounted the inhumane conditions Hamas kept them under.

The ex-hostages expressed gratitude for President Trump’s role in releasing the hostages. “My family and I, myself, we believe you’ve been sent from God to release them,” Shem Tov said. “You were our hope when we were there, and now you’re their hope.”

“So you didn’t think, until I came along, you didn’t think you were going to get out?” Trump asked. They responded: “No.”

The White House Press Office summarized the meeting: “Today, President Trump took time to meet with eight of the released hostages from Gaza. The President listened intently to their heartbreaking stories. The hostages thanked President Trump for his steadfast efforts to bring all of the hostages home.”

An Ultimatum For Hamas

It appears hearing their stories firsthand had an emotional impact on Mr. Trump. Later that day, he posted an ultimatum to Hamas on X:

“Shalom Hamas” means hello and 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. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! 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. I have just met with your former hostages whose lives you have destroyed. This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. Also, to the people of Gaza: A beautiful future awaits, but not if you hold hostages. If you do, you are dead! Make a smart decision.

Also yesterday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the U.S. government is holding direct talks with Hamas over releasing the remaining American hostages as well as a potential deal to end the war. This is the first time the U.S. has held direct talks with Hamas since it listed Hamas as a terrorist group in 1997. According to Axios, the talks started in Qatar several weeks ago without the U.S. informing Israel.

One more significant event happened on Wednesday in Washington. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich met U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Smotrich, often branded “far right” by some commentators because of his desire for Israel to annex the West Bank, was a pariah during Joe Biden’s presidency. His warm welcome by the current administration suggests it may be warming up to some of his more controversial views.

The Israeli government has been muted regarding everything that happened in Washington. The prime minister’s office only stated: “Israel has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas.”

Mr. Trump, as is often the case, is tight on details of what it means for Hamas to be “dead.” He may merely be giving Israel a go-ahead to leave the ceasefire and continue its war. He did so before, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opted to continue negotiations. But this time, Trump called the message his “last warning” to Hamas. This may mean he is prepared to be directly involved in this war.

What happens now?

Mr. Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator on social media; a few days later, he claimed no knowledge of that and invited Zelenskyy to the White House. He pressured Israel to sign the ceasefire deal that was supposed to let Hamas stay in Gaza before claiming the U.S. would somehow take over Gaza. Until there are tangible policy changes on the ground, it is hard to be sure if President Trump is serious or will change his position overnight.

But the Trumpet has expected President Trump to provide some kind of relief to the State of Israel.

Judah Recovering?

The Trumpet analyzes world events through the lens of Bible prophecy. One particular prophecy we follow relating to modern America is in 2 Kings 14:26-27: “For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.”

This passage is not only recorded history for ancient Israel. In modern times, the “name of Israel” is on the United States. God had this history recorded because it points to a modern parallel. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s free book America Under Attack explains.

“The Bible shows that anciently, God raised up the kingdom of Israel to represent Him,” Mr. Flurry writes. “Satan attacked that nation in every way he could. History shows that at one point in the ninth century b.c., an enemy almost completely destroyed it—but God intervened. How? He raised up a human king to temporarily save the nation. … This prophetic history is especially relevant today. Remember the prophetic principle of duality. History is repeating itself.”

America for years now has had its strength depleted under the oppression of leaders like Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Mr. Flurry identifies America’s modern “bitter affliction” as the radical left’s infiltration in Washington. And he identifies the man God is using to save America temporarily as Donald Trump.

The prophecy in 2 Kings doesn’t only concern America, however.

Verse 28 reads: “Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, ….”

“Judah” refers to the Jewish people who make up the State of Israel today. “So the indication is that Jeroboam reclaimed something to help Judah,” Mr. Flurry writes in America Under Attack. He continued: “From the time of Joe Biden’s inauguration, I predicted that we would have more Palestinian terrorist attacks because of the change in leadership. That is exactly what began to happen. Anybody should be able to recognize why! … It appears Mr. Trump may have to recover some of Judah’s freedom ….”

Mr. Flurry wrote those words before Mr. Trump forced Israel to accept the January ceasefire. The whole reason God preserved Donald Trump to retake the White House was to relieve the oppression of His people, including America and the State of Israel. After the ceasefire happened, it appeared as if Mr. Trump was turning against the purpose God supported him for. This is the context for Mr. Flurry’s prediction that the deal would “plague him for the rest of his tenure in office.” That is, “unless he dramatically changes course.”

Wednesday’s events show a very dramatic change in course. But so far, all we see are words. If President Trump follows through and saves Israel from its terrorist onslaught, expect a massive positive change in Israel’s geopolitics. If he doesn’t, expect this to become a plague on the Trump presidency.

To learn more, request a free copy of America Under Attack.