WASHINGTON\u00a0<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would consider allowing Israel to resume a military campaign in the Gaza Strip if Hamas fails to implement the terms of his ceasefire agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on with Hamas \u2013 that\u2019ll be straightened out quickly,\u201d Trump told CNN in a phone interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael 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\u2019d do that,\u201d Trump responded when asked what would happen if Hamas refused to disarm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to hold them back,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Trump said the release of 20 living Israeli hostages was \u201cparamount,\u201d but Hamas must now fulfill its commitment to return the remains of others and disarm.<\/p>\n
The Palestinian group, meanwhile, said Wednesday that it will hand over the remains of two more Israeli captives in Gaza later under the ceasefire agreement with Israel.<\/p>\n
The group\u2019s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said the bodies would be transferred at 10 pm local time (1900GMT), adding that it has \u201cabided by what was agreed upon, delivering all living captives it held and all the bodies it was able to reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamas said recovering the remaining bodies \u201crequires significant effort and specialized equipment\u201d and that it is \u201cworking hard to close this file.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a plan he laid out Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip. The first phase of the deal came into force on Friday.<\/p>\n
Under the deal, Hamas released 20 living Israeli hostages and handed over the remains of eight captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.<\/p>\n
Phase two of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, without Hamas\u2019 participation, the formation of a multinational force and the disarmament of Hamas.<\/p>\n
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 67,900 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.<\/p>\n