After the hostages are released, Trump puts pressure on Hamas and threatens violence

Hamas must disarm, or we will disarm them, possibly by force. That was the statement made by US President Donald Trump one day after the Palestinian militant movement released the last surviving Israeli hostages from Gaza. In return, Israel released Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by Trump.

According to Trump, Hamas had “agreed to disarm,” which is supposed to be one of the points of his 20-point peace plan. “I spoke to Hamas and said, ‘You're going to disarm, right? Yes, sir, we will disarm,’” Trump quoted their response, adding that he had communicated through intermediaries.

However, Israel closed its border with Gaza on Tuesday and restricted humanitarian aid, while Hamas did not publicly announce that it would lay down its weapons. Instead, the group demonstrated its power by executing men in the streets who were accused of collaborating with Israel.

Trump downplayed the killing of members of other gangs by Hamas, thereby reaffirming his control over security.

(reuters, max)