New York [US], October 18: U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to "go in and kill" Hamas members after a video surfaced showing gunmen allegedly linked to the group carrying out a public execution in Gaza just days after a ceasefire deal took effect.
"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump told CNN on Wednesday that he would consider allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military action in Gaza if Hamas refuses to abide by the ceasefire terms.
Asked what happens if Hamas refuses to disarm, Trump said: "Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word. If Israel could go in and knock the crap out of them, they'd do that."
Under the Israel-Hamas agreement, the first phase of the ceasefire includes Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis, and northern Gaza, along with the exchange of hostages and prisoners and the opening of five crossings for humanitarian aid.
While details about the second phase remain unclear, Trump recently announced that negotiations on "phase two" had begun.
The Israel-Hamas conflict, which broke out in October 2023, has claimed more than 66,000 Palestinian lives and plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis.
Source: Xinhua