President Donald Trump warned that if Hamas does not disarm, the United States will do it “quickly and perhaps violently.” Trump spoke Tuesday at the White House as he hosted Argentine President Javier Milei.
Trump said he had received verbal assurances that Hamas would lay down arms but did not set a firm deadline.
His warning came as the U.S.-brokered Gaza truce hit early turbulence. Israeli forces shot several Palestinians they said crossed a “yellow line” despite the ceasefire, and local authorities reported six deaths, Politico reported.
Trump later suggested Hamas could not disarm immediately while it moved against “a couple of gangs that were very bad,” The Washington Post reported. He echoed this sentiment in remarks cited by The Associated Press, saying those killings “didn’t bother me much.”
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
Trump did not say how the United States would disarm Hamas. Vice President JD Vance has said no U.S. troops will be on the ground in Gaza, although a small contingent arrived in Israel earlier this week to help with the logistics of the peace plan.
What the plan says about disarmament
The 20-point peace plan, which Hamas publicly agreed to, contains specific provisions for disarmament. The plan offers amnesty to Hamas members who decommission their weapons and commit to peaceful coexistence after all hostages — living and deceased — are returned. It also mandates the destruction of all of the group’s military infrastructure, such as tunnels and weapons facilities.
The plan outlines a formal “demilitarization of Gaza” supervised by independent monitors, which would involve decommissioning weapons and an internationally funded buyback and reintegration program.
Israeli response
According to the Post, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is “encircling Hamas from all directions” and preparing for a plan to disarm the group and demilitarize Gaza. He added that if it can’t be done the easy way, it will be done the hard way.
On the ground in Gaza, Hamas security forces have returned to the streets in areas vacated by Israeli troops, clashing with armed groups and killing alleged gang members in what the group describes as restoring order. Palestinian rights groups condemned apparent extrajudicial killings by Hamas.
Tensions around the hostage provisions also grew.
Hamas returned all 20 surviving hostages on Monday and has begun transferring remains. But Israeli officials say the group is failing to meet commitments under the agreement to return the bodies of 28 other hostages. Four were delivered on Monday and four on Tuesday, but Israel says one set of remains was not those of a hostage.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged cutting aid to Gaza if all bodies are not returned immediately.
