With Vice President JD Vance scheduled to visit Israel, President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Hamas, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the U.S.-brokered truce in Gaza. He made it clear that the ceasefire must be respected, cautioning the terrorist group with a strong message.

At a White House meeting on Monday with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Trump declared, “We’re going to eradicate them. If we have to, they’ll be eradicated. And they know that,” addressing the press. He highlighted the widespread support for the deal, noting that “59 countries have agreed to the deal,” and underscored the necessity of upholding the ceasefire, warning that any breach would provoke a swift response.

Although specifics of Vance’s trip to Israel remain undisclosed, U.S. diplomatic efforts are reaching beyond Jerusalem. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to visit Egypt following their time in Israel to engage in discussions with Hamas representatives, marking a strategic move to shift from mere ceasefire preservation to tackling the more challenging next steps.

In a recent Oval Office meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was joined by President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and former National Security Adviser Michael Waltz on April 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

During the Monday meeting, when asked about the possibility of deploying U.S. troops, Trump stated that his administration does not intend to send forces. He suggested that other nations, along with Israel, could take action if necessary.

“We don’t need to, because we have many countries, as you know, signed on to this deal,” he said. “We’ve had countries calling me when they saw some of the killing with Hamas, saying we’d love to go in and take care of the situation ourselves. In addition, you have Israel — they would go in, in two minutes. If I asked him to go in, I could tell him, go in and take care of it. But right now, we haven’t said that. We’re going to give it a little chance, and hopefully there will be a little less violence.”

He added a blunt warning about Hamas’ capacity and support. “But right now, you know, they’re violent people. Hamas has been very violent, but they don’t have the backing of Iran anymore… They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they’ll be eradicated — because absolutely we can, and we have the capacity to do so.”

The comments came as senior U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Israeli leaders to shore up the fragile, Trump-brokered, 20-step ceasefire plan after a weekend flare-up. Hamas terrorists killed two Israeli soldiers, prompting Israeli strikes against the terror group. Despite the violence, both Israel and Hamas publicly recommitted to the truce.

President Donald Trump, left, and Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, shake hands outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Oct. 20, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

On Monday, the IDF announced that the body of 41-year-old Tal Haimi, the commander of his kibbutz’s rapid response team, had been recovered after he was abducted by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7., 2023. Haimi led the defense of his kibbutz during the attack. According to The Times of Israel, he is survived by his wife and their four children — including one son who was born in May 2024, seven months after he was killed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in the Knesset, struck a hard line while stressing close U.S.–Israel coordination. He warned the fighting was far from over and said violations would carry a “very heavy price,” while praising the “unprecedented closeness” with Washington.

A group of Hamas terrorists in Deir-el Balah in central Gaza as 20 living Israeli hostages were freed on Oct. 13, 2025. (TPS-IL)

Separately, the IDF said Southern Command troops have begun marking a so-called yellow line inside Gaza — 3.5-meter concrete barriers topped by yellow poles placed roughly every 200 meters — to establish “tactical clarity on the ground” as part of the ceasefire arrangement. The military said the marking will continue “in the coming period” as forces work to remove threats and defend Israeli civilians.