US President Donald Trump said on Monday (October 20) that he would give Hamas an opportunity to honor the Gaza truce deal with Israel, but issued a stark warning that the group would be “eradicated” if it fails to comply.
Speaking to reporters while hosting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House, Trump said: “We made a deal with Hamas that they’re going to be very good, they’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice. And if they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them, if we have to. They’ll be eradicated, and they know that.”
US Forces not involved
Trump emphasized that American forces would not participate directly against Hamas. He said that dozens of other countries, which have agreed to join an international stabilization force for Gaza, would “love to go in.”
“In addition, you have Israel would go in in two minutes, if I asked them to go in. 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. But right now, you know, they’re violent people,” Trump stated.
US mediation efforts
Trump’s remarks came as two of his top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after recent weekend violence threatened to derail the fragile ceasefire the US president helped broker nearly two weeks ago. And, US Vice President JD Vance would visit on Tuesday.
Israel resumes ceasefire enforcement after violence
Israel announced on Sunday that it had “begun renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” with Hamas in Gaza after heavy weekend fighting, warning it would “respond firmly to any violation.” The renewed violence followed an ambush in southern Gaza that killed two Israeli soldiers.
Israeli strikes targeted Hamas weapons-storage facilities and dismantled several kilometers of underground tunnels. Some humanitarian aid has resumed, though the critical Rafah border crossing remains closed.
Next steps in the US-brokered plan
Under Trump’s internationally-backed plan, Hamas is expected to disarm and transfer remaining governance to a foreign-supervised Palestinian administration. While the first stage involved releasing hostages and beginning the IDF withdrawal, Hamas has only returned the remains of 12 deceased captives, with Israel accusing the group of delays.
Humanitarian and military situation
Israeli troops have redeployed along a “yellow line,” leaving over half of Gaza under Israeli control, allowing some Palestinian civilians to return to safer areas.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported 44 people were killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip over the weekend. Palestinians launched anti-armor attacks on Israeli troops in Rafah, injuring two soldiers alongside the two killed.