Washington DC: A day after Israel accused Hamas of breaching the Gaza ceasefire, US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to the militant group, saying it would face “eradication” if it violated the truce again.
Speaking at the Oval Office on Monday (local time) about the recent developments in the Middle East, Trump said Hamas must “be good” and “behave” to avoid grave consequences.
“We have peace in the Middle East for the first time ever. We made a deal with Hamas — they’re going to be very good, they’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice. But if they’re not… we’re going to eradicate them if we have to. They’ll be eradicated — and they know that,” Trump said.
He accused Hamas of engaging in violence in the past and claimed the group no longer enjoys strong support from foreign backers, particularly Iran.
“They went in and killed a lot of people. They’re violent people. Hamas has been very violent. But they don’t have the backing of Iran anymore — really, of anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they’ll be eradicated,” he added.
Trump also clarified that Washington would not deploy American troops, saying there would be “no involvement of US forces.”
The comments came during Trump’s meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, where both leaders signed a multi-billion-dollar agreement focused on critical minerals and defence cooperation.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel announced the “renewed enforcement” of the ceasefire following a series of airstrikes in Gaza, which it said were carried out in response to Hamas attacks on its forces.
Following the escalation, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, according to The Times of Israel. US Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, are also expected to visit the country on Tuesday.
In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said,
“In accordance with the directive of the political echelon, and following a series of significant strikes in response to Hamas’ violations, the IDF has begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire, in line with the terms of the agreement. The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire and will respond firmly to any violation.”
The IDF reported conducting airstrikes on several Hamas-linked sites across Gaza, including weapons depots, firing positions, terrorist cells, and around six kilometres of underground tunnels allegedly used for planning attacks on Israel.
The strikes followed what the IDF described as an escalation by Hamas militants in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, where Israeli troops reportedly came under anti-tank and small-arms fire while dismantling terror infrastructure.
According to Gaza’s Media Office, at least 97 people have been killed and 230 injured since the ceasefire began on October 10. The office accused Israel of committing 80 “blatant and clear breaches” of the truce and international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera, citing hospital sources, reported that at least 42 Palestinians were killed by Israeli military fire across Gaza on Sunday — one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect.
