Washington DC, October 21: A day after Israel claimed that Hamas had violated the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) issued a stark warning to the militant group, saying it would face “eradication” if it violated a truce in the region.
Speaking on the recent developments in the Middle East at the Oval Office, Trump emphasised that the militant group must “be good” and “behave” to avoid severe consequences.
“We have peace in the Middle East for the first time ever. We made a deal with Hamas that, they gonna be very good. They’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice, and if they’re not… we’re going to eradicate them if we have to. They’ll be eradicated — and they know that,” the US President said.
He accused Hamas of past violence and suggested the group no longer enjoys significant external backing, particularly from 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. They don’t have the backing of really anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they’ll be eradicated,” Trump added.
The US President also stressed that Washington would not deploy troops for this purpose, stating that there would be ‘no involvement of US forces’.
Trump’s remarks came during his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Oval Office, where both leaders signed a multi-billion dollar agreement on critical minerals and defence cooperation.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel stated that it has announced a “renewed enforcement” of the ceasefire agreement following a series of air strikes in Gaza, launched in retaliation for what it claims to be attacks on its forces by Hamas.
Following this, top White House officials US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, as reported by the Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, US Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, are also set to visit the country on Tuesday.
In a post on X on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated, “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 agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it.”
The IDF reported that it had carried out air strikes targeting dozens of Hamas-linked sites across Gaza. These included weapons storage facilities, firing positions, terrorist cells, and approximately 6 kilometres of underground tunnels allegedly used for planning attacks against Israel.
The strikes follow an escalation by Hamas militants in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, as claimed by the IDF, where the defence forces claim that an anti-tank missile and gunfire were directed at IDF troops operating to dismantle terror infrastructure, in accordance with the ceasefire terms.
Till Sunday, the Gaza Media Office reported that 97 people have been killed and 230 others injured since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the office accused the Israeli military of carrying out 80 violations since October 10, calling them “blatant and clear breaches” of the ceasefire agreement and international humanitarian law.
According to Al Jazeera, citing hospital sources in Gaza, at least 42 Palestinians were killed by Israeli military fire in multiple areas across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, marking one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect.
