WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that Hamas must disarm or face forceful action, even as his brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian movement remains precarious.
Speaking alongside Argentine President Javier Milei at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said, “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them — quickly and perhaps violently.”
The comments came a day after Hamas released the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza under the U.S.-mediated truce, while Israel freed hundreds of Palestinian detainees. Yet, despite the exchange, Israel has tightened restrictions on aid and kept border crossings shut, citing security concerns.
Trump insisted that Hamas had agreed to his 20-point peace plan, claiming he had communicated the disarmament demand “through intermediaries.”
“I spoke to Hamas, and I said, you’re going to disarm, right? ‘Yes, sir, we’re going to disarm,’ that’s what they told me,” Trump said.
Resistance and Reality in Gaza
Hamas, a Palestinian resistance movement that emerged in response to decades of Israeli occupation, continues to command influence in the Gaza Strip, where it has governed since 2007. Despite being designated as a militant organization by the U.S. and several Western countries, Hamas enjoys popular support among many Palestinians who view its struggle as one against occupation and siege.
Following Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza’s settlements in 2005, the enclave has remained under an Israeli-imposed blockade that has strangled its economy and restricted movement for over two million residents.
Trump’s proposal envisions a full ceasefire, reconstruction efforts, and eventual political reconciliation — but renewed clashes, executions by armed factions, and continuing Israeli restrictions have thrown the plan into uncertainty.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, analysts warn that without addressing the root causes of occupation and blockade, no peace plan — however ambitious — can deliver lasting stability.
