Gaza peace plan: US President Donald Trump threatens end to Hamas will be ‘FAST FURIOUS and BRUTAL’
US President Donald Trump increased pressure on Hamas to disarm in the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip; US President Donald Trump is trying to put an end to the devastating conflict.
During a visit to Israel, US Vice President JD Vance said the ceasefire plan was going better than expected but warned the Palestinian militant group that the ceasefire plan would be destroyed if it did not cooperate, echoing Trump’s threat of “fast, furious and brutal force”.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of repeatedly violating the ceasefire since it was signed eight days ago, with violence and accusations over issues such as returning hostages’ bodies, bringing in aid and opening borders.
Mr. Trump noted the support of other nations in his latest threat against Hamas on Truth Social, saying: “Many of OUR MAJOR ALLIES NOW in the Middle East and the regions surrounding the Middle East have publicly and strongly stated, with great enthusiasm, that we will, at my request, enter GAZA with heavy force and “fix our Hamas” if Hamas continues to misbehave in violation of its agreements with us.” They stated that they would welcome the opportunity.”
“There is still hope that Hamas will do the right thing. If they don’t, the end of Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS and HARMFUL!”
The United States and mediators Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye are trying to move toward a much more complex second phase of negotiations that will require both sides to make concessions that have previously disrupted peace.
Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls for the disarmament of Hamas, a simultaneous Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a move toward a Palestinian state, which the group has so far refused to accept.
Vance, who will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, said he was optimistic about a ceasefire and emphasized the possibility that more Gulf countries could eventually seek to normalize relations with Israel.
But he moved to change expectations for a key Israeli demand for the rapid return of the bodies of all hostages, saying it would take a lot of work and a “very, very long time” to fully implement the ceasefire plan.
Major unresolved issues include governance and security control in the Gaza Strip; Trump’s plan calls for the creation of a technocratic body under an international oversight board and the creation of a multinational force in which Hamas has no role.
Vance, who visited a military base in southern Israel where US troops are monitoring a ceasefire, said the US, Israel and Gulf states agreed that while Hamas fighters were tolerated, the group should be disarmed.
“If Hamas does not cooperate as the US President says, Hamas will be destroyed,” Vance warned.
The US mediation is being handled by envoys Steven Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who will meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad in Israel on Tuesday.
Egypt is hosting Hamas negotiators led by the group’s exiled leader, Khalil al-Hayya, to discuss both current ceasefire arrangements and difficult next steps.
A Palestinian official close to the talks said Hamas had promoted a proposal to establish a technocratic committee that would manage the strip without any representatives but with the consent of the group and the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas handed over the remains of two more hostages to the Red Cross on Tuesday, the Israeli military said.
This will leave 13 more bodies in the Gaza Strip.
Israel believes Hamas may soon bring in more bodies, but recognizes that some remains will likely require a slower, more complex process of location and recovery.
Israel handed over the bodies of 15 more Palestinians on Tuesday, bringing the total to 165, local health officials said.
More aid arrived from two Israeli-controlled crossing points in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian and United Nations officials said.
with AP
