WASHINGTON (AP) — On Thursday, President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Hamas, stating that the U.S. might be compelled to intervene militarily if internal violence in Gaza continues. “We will have no choice but to go in and kill them,” Trump declared.

The warning followed a period where Trump had played down the escalating violence in the region. This unrest has been ongoing since a ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas was established last week in their protracted two-year conflict.

Earlier this week, Trump commented that Hamas had eliminated “a couple of gangs that were very bad,” referring to recent violent incidents. “Honestly, that didn’t bother me much,” he admitted.

Details on how Trump intends to act on this threat remain unclear. His remarks were shared on his platform, Truth Social, but the White House has yet to offer any clarification or additional comment.

Despite his tough stance, Trump conveyed that his patience with Hamas’s actions, particularly the targeted killings of opposition factions within Gaza, is wearing thin.

“They will disarm, and if they don’t do so, we will disarm them, and it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently,” Trump said.

The Hamas-run police maintained a high degree of public security after the militants seized power in Gaza 18 years ago while also cracking down on dissent. The police largely melted away in recent months as Israeli forces seized large areas of Gaza and targeted Hamas security forces with airstrikes.

Powerful local families and armed gangs, including some anti-Hamas factions backed by Israel, stepped into the void. Many are accused of hijacking humanitarian aid and selling it for profit, contributing to Gaza’s starvation crisis.

The ceasefire plan introduced by Trump had called for all hostages – living and dead – to be handed over by a deadline that expired Monday. But under the deal, if that didn’t happen, Hamas was to share information about deceased hostages and try to hand them over as soon as possible.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel “will not compromise” and demanded that Hamas fulfill the requirements laid out in the ceasefire deal about the return of hostages’ bodies.

Hamas’ armed wing said in a statement Wednesday that the group honored the ceasefire’s terms and handed over the remains of the hostages it had access to.