President Donald Trump has stated that he would consider allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military action in Gaza if Hamas refuses to uphold its end of the ceasefire deal. Trump told CNN that Israeli forces could return to the streets 'as soon as I say the word.'
The comments come as Israel accuses Hamas, a group labeled a terrorist organization by the US government, of not abiding by the agreement to hand over hostages, living and dead, as part of a deal to end the fighting in Gaza. This has caused rising anger in Israel, where authorities have told the UN that humanitarian aid shipments expected to be allowed into Gaza will be reduced or delayed due to the small number of deceased hostages turned over. However, the tenuous ceasefire has held so far.
Point 4 of Trump's 20-point peace plan states that within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned. As of Wednesday morning, all 20 living Israeli hostages had been returned to Israel. But Hamas had handed over the bodies of only four people, and the Israeli military has said that one of them does not belong to an Israeli hostage. Four to five more bodies are expected to be returned this evening.
Trump noted that the rescue of the living hostages was important in its own right, saying, 'Getting those 20 hostages out was paramount.' In the days following the hostage release, violent clashes have erupted between Hamas and rival groups, including an incident that culminated in an apparent public execution. Trump has warned previously that Hamas must also disarm or 'we will disarm them.' His 20-point plan contemplates a future in which Hamas agrees not to have any role in the governance of Gaza, which will be demilitarized and under independent monitoring.
Trump told CNN that right now, Hamas is 'going in and clearing out the gangs, violent gangs.' When asked if it was possible that Hamas was executing innocent Palestinians, Trump said, 'I'm doing research on it. We'll find out about it. It could be gangs plus.' Point 6 of the president's 20-point peace plan states that once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence and to decommissioning their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.
When asked what happens if Hamas refuses to disarm, Trump responded, 'I think about it. 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.' The president also expressed positive sentiments about the long-term prospects for peace, particularly given the strong support of other countries in the region.
Trump mentioned that fifty-nine countries are part of the ceasefire deal, referring to those countries who attended a ceremony in Egypt to sign a document of high-level principles titled the 'Trump Peace Agreement' or expressed statements of support. He also said he was continuing to work on ending the Russian war against Ukraine, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expected to visit the White House on Friday.
