Gaza peace deal: Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office in Washington, US President Donald Trump also suggested that Hamas, which he claimed has ‘killed a lot of people’ does not have the backing of Iran.
Issuing a stern warning to Hamas, US President Donald Trump said on Monday (local time) that the Palestinian militant group ‘need to be good’ otherwise it will be ‘eradicated’. This comes a day after Israel alleged that Hamas has violated the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Speaking to reporters alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Oval Office in Washington, the 79-year-old also suggested that Hamas, which he claimed has ‘killed a lot of people’, does not have the backing of Iran. However, he noted that the US won’t deploy troops in the Middle East for ensuring peace in the region.ย
“We have peace in the Middle East for the first time ever. We made a deal with Hamas that, they gonna be very good. They’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice, and if they’re not… we’re going to eradicate them if we have to. They’ll be eradicated — and they know that,” Trump said.ย
“They went in and killed a lot of people. They’re violent people. Hamas has been very violent. But they don’t have the backing of Iran anymore. They don’t have the backing of really anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they’ll be eradicated,” he added.
Ceasefire violation allegation and Hamas’ counter allegationsย
Israel on Saturday resumed airstrikes in Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating ceasefire that was brokered by Trump in a bid to end the two-year war between the two sides. In its statement, Israel said Hamas “terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire” at its troops in Rafah that killed two of its soldiers.ย
In response, Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza, with reports emerging that at least 44 people were killed in the attack. However, Hamas rejected Israel’s allegations and also urged the US to not fall for Tel Aviv’s ‘propaganda’.ย
“The facts on the ground reveal the exact opposite, as the occupation authorities are the ones who formed, armed, and funded criminal gangs that carried out killings, kidnappings, theft of aid trucks, and assaults against Palestinian civilians,” the Hamas statement read.
Amid all this, Israel said on Sunday that it has announced a “renewed enforcement” of the ceasefire agreement in the region.
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