Donald Trump has threatened to forcibly disarm Hamas if they refuse to give up their weapons as the Gaza ceasefire deal hangs by a thread.
‘They will disarm — and if they don’t I’m gonna make them disarm,’ the president told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. ‘They know what I mean.’
Trump warned that America stood ready to bring about Hamas’s disarmament ‘quickly and perhaps violently.’
It comes amid fears that the fragile ceasefire could unravel at any moment as Hamas has failed to deliver the deceased hostages, the Gaza Strip has descended into bloody gang warfare and Israel is refusing to open the Rafah border crossing to aid.
Trump said that the jihadists ‘misrepresented’ how many dead hostages they would be able to deliver, originally stating ‘they had 26, 24’. Only eight coffins have been retrieved from Gaza so far, including another four released tonight.
‘It seems they don’t have that because we’re talking about a much lesser number. But that’s a very tough subject. I want them back. That’s what they said. I want them back,’ he said.
Trump also told reporters that Hamas ‘took out two very evil gangs’ in Gaza and ‘killed a number of them,’ a development he said ‘didn’t bother me much.’
Hamas faces violent opposition from several armed gangs in the Strip that have sprung up after Israel wiped out the terrorists’ leadership.
Trump returned from Egypt late last night after signing a historic peace deal and speaking in Israel following the release of 20 hostages by Hamas.
But despite the celebrations, it remains unclear whether the peace will hold after two years of fighting that has left more than 70,000 dead, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Trump’s 20-point peace plan demands that Hamas disarm, and turn over the dead hostages — neither pledge has yet been honored.
The IDF on Tuesday night said that the Red Cross had collected four more coffins of dead hostages from Gaza. It follows the release of another four bodies last night.
The bodies of 20 hostages, which Hamas promised to release as part of the peace deal, are still unaccounted for.
Earlier, Israeli officials said the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would remain closed at least through Wednesday, with aid deliveries into Gaza reduced to pressure Hamas to return the remaining bodies.
Red Cross teams are searching Gaza’s ruins for deceased hostages after Israel warned Hamas it had until tonight to deliver the rest.
But the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned the process could take considerable time given the difficulty of recovering bodies from the rubble.
Lianne Pollack-David, former senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says the most critical test lies ahead. Trump’s peace deal risks complete collapse if Hamas fails to return the bodies of all deceased Israeli hostages, she says.
The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, an Israeli advocacy group, warned that Hamas is already in ‘blatant breach’ of the peace agreement after it failed to release all of the remains today.
Pollack-David, who previously negotiated with Palestinians, described the current phase of the deal as dangerously unstable, with the Israel Defense Forces having partially withdrawn to what is called the ‘yellow line’ –– about a 50 percent pullback.
If Hamas violates the terms, that retreat could be reversed rapidly.
She emphasized that Trump’s agreement is not a peace deal, but a shaky ceasefire with terrorists which was only in its initial phase. Much is unresolved.
Pollack-David says Hamas has already shown signs of defiance, including using psychological tactics to maintain a sense of control.
She says Hamas called the parents of these hostages and let them speak to their loved ones , because they wanted to let them know they maintain control over them.
‘I don’t expect Hamas to come out in the next few days or months waving a white flag. They will do whatever they can to survive, and they’re already playing these tricks,’ the Netanyahu insider said.
She added, ‘What they do next could blow up the whole deal.’
Pollack-David praised Trump’s strategic approach in the region, noting that he has effectively compelled regional actors such as Qatar, Turkey and Egypt to take concrete responsibility for Gaza’s future, rather than remaining passive observers.
Gaza, she argued, cannot remain solely Israel’s problem.
‘What President Trump did very smartly is put a lot of responsibility on the regional players… instead of just talking, he’s telling them, put your skin in the game,’ she said.
At the same time, she expressed concern that key players like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who she identifies as representatives of a moderate and forward–looking Middle East, have so far played a limited role in the process.
‘Qatar and Turkey are now heavily involved, but there are big question marks. They’ve been strong supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and very anti–Israel,’ she explained.
In the end, she said that the United States, rather than the current Israeli government, will be the one who will decide if the war has ended.
In the end, she said that the United States, rather than the current Israeli government, will be the one who will decide if the war has ended.
‘The US will be the judge of long term peace. I wish it were Israel, but it can’t happen with this current government that mixes ultra-right wing ideology with security considerations. It doesn’t fully represent the Israeli public or Israel’s best long-term security interests,’ she said.
‘Trump’s vision at this moment is the right one. He’s pushing Israel in a direction that may not be convenient to everyone, but it’s necessary,’ she said.
