On Saturday, President Trump suggested that Hamas would be responsible if the current ceasefire with Israel collapses, although he described the agreement as an “enduring peace.”
“I believe it will last,” Trump remarked to journalists after a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. This interaction occurred during a refueling stop in Doha while Trump was aboard Air Force One heading to Malaysia.
“If it doesn’t, it will be on Hamas,” Trump added. “Hamas can be dealt with swiftly if necessary. I hope they stick to the agreement since they’ve given us their word. If they don’t, they’ll face significant consequences.”
In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump urged the group to promptly return the bodies of deceased hostages, including two Americans, warning that failure to do so might provoke action from other nations involved in the peace process.
“While some of the bodies are not easily accessible, others can be returned immediately,” he noted. “There may be reasons related to disarmament, but my promise of fair treatment to both sides stands only if they fulfill their commitments. We’ll see how they act in the next 48 hours. I am monitoring this situation very closely.”
The president praised the Qataris for their role in providing peacekeeping troops as part of the International Stabilization Force intended to take over security control of Gaza from Hamas. Any peacekeeping troops would go into Gaza “at the time they need to.”
“By the way, Israel will go in there very easily,” Trump said. “You know that, right? Right there you have a country. But you have the Arab countries. Everybody. Muslim, Arab everybody on board. It’s been really an amazing thing. It’s a great success. It’s going to be a long lasting. Hopefully everlasting peace.”
Trump previously said on Monday that if Hamas violates the ceasefire, the response will “happen very quickly and pretty violently, unfortunately, we are going to eradicate Hamas.”
Hamas has not fully committed to disarming and releasing control of Gaza. Releasing control would then, as part of the stabilization plan, allow a technocratic government to be formed to carry out governance in Gaza.
Vice President Vance, while in Israel on Tuesday to inaugurate the U.S.-led Civilian-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) that is overseeing the ceasefire, reiterated the administration’s demands from the U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
“Hamas has to comply with the deal, and if Hamas doesn’t comply with the deal, very bad things are going to happen,” Vance said.
So far, there is no deadline for Hamas to relinquish power over the Gaza Strip.
Updated at 4:23 p.m. EDT
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