US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (October 15th) that he would consider authorizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military action in Gaza if Hamas does not live up to its end of the ceasefire agreement.
“Israel will be back in those streets as soon as I say the word. If Israel could go in and beat the crap out of them, they would,” Trump told CNN.
He added, “I had to hold them back,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces and Netanyahu’s administration. “I had it with Bibi.
Concerns about compliance with Hamas
Trump’s remarks come amid Israeli accusations that Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, has not fully complied with the hostage-handling aspect of the ceasefire agreement. Israel noted that humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza could be delayed or limited due to the limited number of deceased hostages returned by Hamas.
“What’s going on with Hamas — that’s going to be fixed quickly,” Trump said, according to the news outlet.
Hostage returns under scrutiny
Trump’s 20-point peace plan states: “Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this deal, all hostages, dead and alive, will be returned. As of Wednesday, all 20 living hostages have been returned to Israel. However, Hamas has delivered the bodies of only four people, and the Israeli military said one of the bodies returned was not that of an Israeli hostage. More bodies are expected to be returned later on Wednesday.
Hamas Clashes and Future Demilitarization
After the release of the hostages, violent clashes erupted between Hamas and rival groups, including reports of public executions. Trump has warned that Hamas must disarm to avoid further conflict, as outlined in his 20-point peace plan, which proposes that Gaza be demilitarized and independently monitored, with Hamas stripped of government roles.
Trump added, “Right now, Hamas is going in and taking out gangs, violent gangs,” according to the news outlet.
Asked if innocent Palestinians could be harmed in these operations, Trump said, according to the reporter, “I’m doing research on that. We’ll find out. It could be gangs plus.”
