President Donald Trump announced that he might permit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military operations in Gaza if Hamas fails to comply with the ceasefire agreement. In a statement to CNN, Trump indicated that Israeli forces could re-engage “as soon as I say the word.”

In a brief phone conversation, Trump remarked, “The situation with Hamas will be resolved swiftly.”

The President’s remarks follow accusations from Israel that Hamas, which the US classifies as a terrorist organization, is not fulfilling its obligation to return hostages—both living and deceased—as stipulated in the ceasefire deal designed to halt the conflict in Gaza.

This situation has sparked growing frustration in Israel. Authorities there have informed the United Nations that humanitarian aid deliveries anticipated for Gaza may be reduced or delayed due to the limited number of deceased hostages returned. Nonetheless, the fragile ceasefire remains intact.

In Trump’s 20-point peace proposal, point four specifies, “Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.”

As of Wednesday, all 20 of the 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 within hours, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Trump noted the rescue of the living hostages was important in its own right. “Getting those 20 hostages out was paramount,” the US president said.

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 demilitarised and under independent monitoring. But the administration has acknowledged that it still has to do more work to resolve the future of Gaza, and that the agreement that prompted the hostage release is only phase one.

Trump said that right now, Hamas is “going in and clearing out the gangs, violent gangs.”

“I’m doing research on it,” he said when asked if it was possible that Hamas was executing innocent Palestinians. “We’ll find out about it. It could be gangs plus,” he said.

Point six of the president’s 20-point peace plan states, “Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.”

What happens if Hamas refuses to disarm? CNN asked the president.

“I think about it,” Trump responded. “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.”

“I had to hold them back,” the president said of the Israel Defence Forces and Netanyahu administration. “I had it out with Bibi.”

The president, though, was clearly feeling positive about long-term prospects for peace, particularly given the strong support of other countries in the region.

“Fifty-nine countries are part of this,” he said of the ceasefire deal, apparently 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.

“We’ve never seen anything like this. Now it’s all happening. They want to be part of the Abraham Accords. Now that Iran isn’t a problem.”