WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has warned that Israel could resume its military campaign in Gaza if Hamas fails to fulfill the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
In a CNN interview, Trump said he had restrained Israel from advancing further but hinted that he could authorize renewed operations if Hamas does not disarm and return the bodies of Israeli captives.
“What’s going on with Hamas – that’ll be straightened out quickly,” Trump told CNN on phone.
“Israel 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’d do that,” Trump responded when asked what would happen if Hamas refused to disarm.
“I had to hold them back,” he added.
Trump said the release of 20 living Israeli hostages was “paramount,” but Hamas must now fulfill its commitment to return the remains of others and disarm.
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.
The group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said the bodies would be transferred, adding that it has “abided by what was agreed upon, delivering all living captives it held and all the bodies it was able to reach.”
Hamas said recovering the remaining bodies “requires significant effort and specialized equipment” and that it is “working hard to close this file.”
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.
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.
Phase two of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a multinational force and the disarmament of Hamas.
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.
