Daijiworld Media Release
Washington, Oct 22: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday described Hamas as “violent people” and warned that the group “could be put out in two minutes” if it failed to uphold the ongoing ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Speaking at a Diwali celebration at the White House, Trump said the US was pushing for “total peace in the Middle East” and that his administration’s efforts had brought together nations once considered adversaries. “We are forging peace all over the world... We’re getting everybody to get along. We have many countries signed on to peace in the Middle East, and nobody thought they’d ever see that happening,” he said.
Referring to Hamas, Trump said, “They’re pretty violent people. We could put that out in two minutes. We’re giving them a chance. They agreed that they’d be very good and straight. They wouldn’t be killing people. But if they don’t honour the deal, they’ll be taken care of very quickly.”
The statement reinforced his earlier warning from October 21, when he cautioned Hamas not to violate the Gaza peace plan. Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump had declared that “an end to Hamas will be fast, furious and brutal” if the group failed to comply with the ceasefire terms.
In that post, Trump also said several “great allies” in and around the Middle East had offered to intervene militarily in Gaza at his request if Hamas resumed hostilities. “The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years,” he wrote, thanking allied nations, including Indonesia, for their support.
Meanwhile, both Israel and Hamas have reaffirmed their commitment to the US-mediated ceasefire despite sporadic weekend clashes. Israel confirmed that Hamas had handed over the body of one hostage, bringing the total number of remains returned to 13 out of the 28 pledged.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that Hamas must deliver on its promise to return all hostage remains for the ceasefire to be fully implemented.