Trump warns Hamas to disarm or face forceful disarmament amid Israeli hostage dispute
This represented the first phase of the peace plan, which Trump said has moved on to the second phase, which includes demilitarizing Hamas, providing amnesty for those who are disarmed, and ensuring security in Gaza through an international stabilization force.
Trump said Hamas had promised him it would disarm, otherwise he would be disarmed by force, but he refused to explain how it would be done.
“They will disarm because they said they would disarm, and if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them,” he told reporters in Washington. “They know I don’t play games.”
US President Donald Trump is at the White House on Tuesday.Credit: access point
Israeli diggers work in the Gaza Strip as the sun sets on Tuesday.Credit: access point
Asked how that would happen, Trump said, “I don’t need to explain that to you.” But he later added that “this will happen quickly and perhaps violently” and said he would give Hamas “a reasonable amount of time” before intervening.
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Trump was unbothered by reports that Hamas fighters had killed more than two dozen people associated with the Dughmush clan, likening it to the U.S. war against members of the Tren de Aragua gang in Venezuela.
“[Hamas] They took out a few gangs that were very bad… They killed a lot of gang members. “To be honest, it didn’t bother me much,” he said.
However, he insisted that the terrorist organization lay down its arms voluntarily. “I talked to Hamas and said, ‘You’re going to disarm, right?’ I said. ‘Yes sir, we will disarm.’ That’s what they told me.”
He later clarified that he had not met directly with Hamas leaders, but that this had been conveyed to his team. American news outlet Axios has revealed that special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Hamas leaders in Egypt last week.
Trump called on Hamas to return the bodies of the remaining dead hostages, believed to number around 20, but noted that Hamas may not have all the remains.
“They made false statements because we were told they were 26, 24. [bodies] dead hostages,” he said. “It looks like they don’t have that.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it would take time to bring back the remaining hostages as finding the dead hostages among the ruins of Gaza would be a “huge challenge”.
The bodies of the hostages were returned
On Wednesday (AEDT), the Israel Defense Forces said four coffins of deceased hostages were flown to Israel by the IDF and Shin Bet and taken to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.
The three bodies were later identified as 53-year-old Eitan Levy, 19-year-old Tamir Nimrodi, and 35-year-old Uriel Baruch.
In a statement issued by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the Nimrodi family said that Israeli soldier Tamir Nimrodi was killed in Israeli attacks while in captivity, after previously saying he was “killed” by Hamas.
During the last hostage transfer, Tamir Nimrodi’s body was returned.Credit: Bring Them Home Now
Investigators still cannot confirm the identity of the fourth person. Israeli times reported. Earlier this year, Hamas handed over the body it said was that of hostage Shiri Bibas, but it was later found to be that of a Palestinian woman. Bibas’ real remains were eventually returned.
The bodies of the four hostages released Monday were identified as: Daniel Peretz, 22; Yossi Sharabi, 53; Guy Illouz (26) and Nepalese citizen Bipin Joshi (23).
Palestinians march in the al-Zahra district in central Gaza on Tuesday as displaced residents return to their homes.Credit: AFP
Earlier, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum published a letter addressed to Witkoff asking for U.S. assistance to secure the release of the remaining bodies.
The group, the main group representing the families of the October 7 hostages, demanded that Hamas fulfill the full scope of the agreement, urging Witkoff to “exert all means and leave no stone unturned.”
“What we feared is now happening before our eyes… We cannot rest, and we know you will not rest until all the hostages are returned,” the letter said.
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In a separate social media post, Trump called for more bodies to be quickly returned. “A huge burden has been lifted BUT THE WORK WAS NOT DONE. THE DEAD WERE NOT RETURNED AS PROMISED!” He wrote at Truth Social.
Previously, COGAT, Israel’s military arm responsible for the flow of aid to Gaza, announced that it would limit aid trucks to 300 per day in response to Hamas’ slow release of dead hostages and accused the group of violating the ceasefire agreement.
However, Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported that the move was canceled after Hamas sent more bodies.
