Trump warns Hamas to follow truce terms
(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that he would consider permitting Israel to resume military operations in the Gaza Strip if Hamas fails to comply with the conditions outlined in his ceasefire agreement.
“What’s going on with Hamas – that’ll be straightened out quickly,” Trump said during a phone interview, as reported by various sources.
When asked what actions Israel might take if Hamas refuses to disarm, Trump replied, “Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word. If Israel could go in and knock the crap out of them, they’d do that.” He added, “I had to hold them back.”
Trump emphasized that the release of 20 Israeli hostages still alive remains “paramount,” but stressed that Hamas must now honor its commitments to hand over the remains of other captives and disarm its fighters.
Meanwhile, according to reports, Hamas announced on Wednesday that it would transfer the bodies of two additional Israeli captives later in the evening as part of the ongoing ceasefire terms. The Qassam Brigades, the group’s armed faction, said the exchange would take place at 10 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) and noted that it has “abided by what was agreed upon, delivering all living captives it held and all the bodies it was able to reach.”
Hamas explained that retrieving the rest of the bodies “requires significant effort and specialized equipment” and stated it is “working hard to close this file.”
Last week, Trump declared that Israel and Hamas had agreed to begin implementing the first stage of his ceasefire proposal, which he presented on September 29. The plan aims to secure peace in Gaza through the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian detainees and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory. The first stage took effect on Friday.
As part of this phase, Hamas released 20 Israeli hostages who were alive and returned the remains of eight others, while Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The next stage of Trump’s initiative involves forming a new governing authority in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, creating a multinational security force, and ensuring the group’s full disarmament.
According to reports, since October 2023, Israeli military operations have resulted in the deaths of more than 67,900 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, leaving much of the enclave in ruins and nearly uninhabitable.
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