US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, suggesting a strong partnership as tensions in the Middle East continue. The leaders focused on the threat posed by Hamas, with Trump revealing that 59 countries have agreed to take action against the group if it refuses to disarm.
When asked what might happen if Hamas refused to disarm, Trump said: “It would be horrible for them, horrible. It’s going to be really, really bad for them.”
‘59 countries will wipe out Hamas’: Trump
At a joint press conference in Florida, Trump said that Hamas must disarm before any future governance plan could move forward. He warned that there would be consequences if Hamas did not comply.
Trump claimed, “You know, we have many countries, 59 countries that are in agreement. This is a real peace in the Middle East. And Hamas is a small part of it, but it’s still a part of it.” He then added, “But we have 59 countries that signed on, big countries, countries that are outside of the Middle East. They want to go in and wipe out Hamas. They don’t want Israel. They don’t need Israel. They want to do it because it’s the right thing to do, because they were for the deal based on the fact that Hamas pledged. They swore.
Trump continued that Hamas had pledged to disarm, warning, “If you don’t see Hamas disarm it would be horrible for them. It’s going to be really, really bad for them. But they made an agreement that they were going to disarm.”
During the meeting, Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will soon announce his Gaza “day after” plan. The plan would include creating an international “Board of Peace.”
During the same press conference, Trump defended Israel, saying, “I’m not concerned about anything that Israel is doing. They are living up to their commitments under the deal—100 percent.”
Trump warns Iran over rebuilding nuclear capacity
Trump also addressed Iran, warning that any attempt to rebuild its nuclear program or missile capacity would face immediate military action. “If they are trying to build up again, we’re going to have to knock them down… We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But, hopefully, that’s not happening,” he said.
On the question of supporting Israeli strikes on Iran’s missile program, Trump stated, “If they continue with the missiles, yes. The nuclear? Fast. One will be: Yes, absolutely. The other is: We’ll do it immediately.”
Alongside Gaza, Trump and his advisers reportedly pressed Netanyahu to change Israeli policy in the West Bank. According to Axios, the White House worries that rising attacks on Palestinians, growing settlements, and the financial collapse of the Palestinian Authority could threaten the Gaza agreement and slow down the Abraham Accords normalisation deals.