President Donald Trump told CNN that Hamas will face “total destruction” if the group refuses to give way to Gaza’s power and control amid continuous efforts to lead their ceasefire plan.
“Total destruction!” Trump told CNN Jake Tapper when questioned by a text message on Saturday about what would happen if Hamas insisted on remaining in power.
Tapper pressured the president about Hamas’s response to his 20-point ceasefire proposal, citing Senator Lindsey Graham’s interpretation that Hamas had effectively rejected the plan by insisting on “not disarming, keeping Gaza under Palestinian control and linking hostage release to negotiations.”
“Is he wrong?” Asked Tapper.
“Let’s find out. Only time will say !!!”, replied Trump.
The US president said he expects clarification “soon” about if Hamas is genuinely committed to peace.
“Yes, Bibi,” Trump said when asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fully in accordance with the end of the Gaza bombing campaign and supports the president’s broader view.
Trump added that he is hopeful that his ceasefire proposal will come true and emphasized that he is working hard to reach it.
At the beginning of Saturday, the president said that Israel agreed with the initial withdrawal line outlined in his proposed ceasefire plan for Israel and Hamas.
In a social media publication, he said the government is now awaiting confirmation of Hamas.
If Hamas agree, Trump said, the ceasefire would come into force “immediately” and the exchange of hostages and prisoners would start.
“After negotiations, Israel agreed with the initial withdrawal line, which we showed and shared with Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the ceasefire will immediately come into force, the exchange of hostages and prisoners will start and we will create the conditions for the next phase of the withdrawal, which will approach the end of this 3,000-year catastrophe.
Trump also said on Saturday that Israel had temporarily suspended air strikes in Gaza, considering this decision a critical step to finalize a ceasefire agreement and ensure the release of hostages, and warned Hamas to act quickly.
However, at the beginning of the same day, CNN reported that at least 67 people died in Gaza due to Israeli attacks, according to hospital staff at Enclave.
The president revealed on Friday that Hamas had responded positively to his proposal of 20 points designed to end the conflict. Speaking in a video published in the Social Truth, Trump called him “a great day” and described the developments as “unprecedented.”
