Donald Trump said he hoped to reach phase two of the Gaza peace plan very quickly, as he warned Hamas would have hell to pay if it did not disarm soon.
The US president, whose 20-point peace plan requires the militant group to disarm, made the comments as he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida for talks on Monday.
During a press conference with Netanyahu after their meeting, Trump said Israel had lived up to the plan 100%, despite continuing attacks by its military in Gaza.
The US president also said his country could support another major strike on Iran if it were to resume rebuilding its ballistic missile or nuclear weapons programmes.
In response to Trump's threat, Iran's supreme leader's top political adviser, Ali Shamkhani, said on X that any aggression towards Iran would be met with an immediate harsh response.
Asked how quickly Hamas and Israel should move to phase two of the peace plan, Trump stated: As quickly as we can. But there has to be disarmament. Regarding Hamas, he indicated: If they don't disarm as they agreed to do, there will be hell to pay for them.
Reconstruction in Gaza, post-disarmament, could begin pretty soon under the next phase of the plan, which came into effect in October. Critics, however, have raised concerns that Netanyahu might delay troop withdrawals until after Hamas disarms.
In the meantime, since the ceasefire became active, over 400 Palestinians have reportedly been killed by the Israeli military according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which the Israeli military attributes to ceasefire violations.
Trump reiterated that the US will retaliate if Iran is found developing nuclear weapons once again, indicating that their response would be severe if any new efforts are detected.
Additionally, talks between Trump and Netanyahu included addressing regional tensions, particularly regarding Syria, with Trump expressing hope for a peaceful relationship between Israel and the new Syrian leadership.
