U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Hamas following reports that the group executed fellow Palestinians in Gaza, in violation of the ceasefire agreement brokered with Israel.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
The president later clarified that U.S. forces would not be directly involved in any renewed offensive. “It’s not going to be us, we won’t have to,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday. “There are people very close, very nearby that will go and they’ll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices.”
Trump’s remarks come amid rising tensions in Gaza, where Hamas fighters have reportedly clashed with rival Palestinian groups and carried out public executions, despite the ceasefire agreement signed last week.
Under the terms of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, Hamas was expected to relinquish its weapons and surrender control of Gaza. Members wishing to leave the territory were to be granted safe passage to other countries.
“They will disarm, and if they don’t do so, we will disarm them, and it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently,” Trump said during a meeting with Argentinian President Javier Milei.
The president had previously downplayed the need for U.S. involvement in peacekeeping, declaring the war “effectively over.”
He also acknowledged reports that Hamas had targeted criminal gangs in Gaza, saying, “They did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad… That didn’t bother me much.”
Videos circulating online have shown what appear to be public executions carried out by Hamas fighters, prompting renewed scrutiny of the group’s actions and its commitment to the ceasefire.
The situation remains fluid as negotiators continue efforts to secure a permanent end to the conflict.
