U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that the United States “will have no choice but to go in and kill” Hamas members if the terrorist group continues executing people in Gaza, saying such actions “were not part" of the ceasefire deal with Israel.
The statement, posted on Truth Social, came amid growing criticism over reports that Hamas has carried out public executions in the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire took effect.
Trump has twice indicated since the truce began that he is largely untroubled by the executions. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he said Hamas “did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad,” echoing earlier remarks suggesting he had given a “green light” to operations aimed at intimidating rivals within the enclave.
In contrast, U.S. Centcom Commander Adm. Brad Cooper issued a statement calling on Hamas to “immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza.” Cooper said the U.S. had conveyed its concerns to mediators “who agreed to work with us to enforce the peace and protect innocent Gaza civilians.”
“This is an historic opportunity for peace. Hamas should seize it by fully standing down, strictly adhering to President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, and disarming without delay," the statement read.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump said that he had personally spoken with Hamas representatives and received assurances that they would disarm. “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them, and it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently, but they will disarm,” he said.
Reports from Gaza indicate that hours after the release of Israeli hostages under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas executed several people it accused of collaborating with Israel or opposing its rule. Witnesses said the executions took place publicly, with crowds watching and filming the events.
Hamas officials have said the group will not allow a “security vacuum” in Gaza, despite the U.S.-backed plan calling for the terrorist organization to step down from governing the territory and surrender its weapons. The group insists, however, that control of Gaza should pass to a Palestinian — not a foreign — security force.
Under what Hamas describes as an operation to “restore governance and security,” the group has clashed violently with local clans and armed factions seen as potential threats to its authority. Despite widespread shock across the enclave, Hamas has vowed to continue what it calls efforts to “cleanse Gaza of traitors.”
In practice, observers say, the campaign is meant to reinforce the terrorist group’s dominance in Gaza and signal to residents that, despite the ceasefire, Hamas still considers itself the ultimate authority.