During a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, US President Donald Trump stated that Hamas had been given a “very short period of time” to disarm and warned that failing to do so would have dire consequences.
“We discussed disarmament and Hamas, and they will be given a very short period of time to disarm,” Trump stated. “And we’ll see how that turns out.”
Trump stated that Hamas had already promised to disarm, and that his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and senior presidential advisor Jared Kushner would supervise the process from the US side.
“They’ll be held to pay for them if they don’t disarm as they agreed to do,” he declared. “They must disarm in a reasonably short amount of time.”
When asked if Israel would remove its troops before Hamas completely disarms, Trump refused to make the connection.
“Well, that’s an other topic. We’ll discuss that,” he remarked.
Trump denied claims that Israel was postponing the execution of later phases, stating that it has complied completely with the current peace framework.
He declared, “I don’t care about anything that Israel is doing.” “They have completely adhered to the plan.”
He cautioned that if Hamas did not fulfill its commitment, Israel and the other participating nations would take action.
Trump declared, “Those same countries will wipe out Hamas if they say they’re not going to disarm.” “They don’t even require Israel.”
According to Trump, 59 nations supported the peace initiative.
He stated, “We have 59 countries that signed on, big countries.” “Hamas is a tiny part of this real peace in the Middle East, but it’s still a part of it.”
Netanyahu frequently referred to Trump as Israel’s most powerful partner, supporting his stance.
Netanyahu described their collaboration as “a partnership second to none” and stated, “We’ve never had a friend even close a friend as President Trump in the White House.”
Trump claimed that US moves against Iran had made the larger peace endeavor possible.
He added, “Remember, we made the plan possible by taking out Iran,” and that any resurgence of Iranian activities would prompt immediate action.
“We’re going to have no choice but to eradicate that buildup very quickly if they are trying to build up again,” Trump declared.
Trump emphasized that he wanted Hamas to comply quietly in the closing moments of the conversation.
Regarding potential repercussions, he stated, “I don’t want that to happen.” “However, they reached a consensus.”
The United States has classified Hamas as a terrorist group, and it has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Conflicts over disarmament and security assurances have caused several ceasefire attempts to fail in the past.
Asserting that the dismantling of militant organizations is necessary for long-term stability in the Middle East, the Trump administration has pushed for a more comprehensive regional peace framework incorporating Arab governments and Israel.
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