In a sharp reversal of tone, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened military action against the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza, after previously making remarks that appeared to express understanding of the movement’s actions against Israeli collaborators.
Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social:
“If Hamas continues to kill people, we’ll have no choice but to go in there and kill them.”
These comments represent a stark contradiction to his earlier statements this week. During a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei on Tuesday, Trump downplayed reports that Hamas executed a group of Israeli collaborators in Gaza, saying, “That’s fine. Two very bad gangs.”
The shift in tone follows Trump’s recent remarks calling for Hamas to disarm—or be forced to do so—amid reports of internal violence in Gaza, including alleged executions and clashes between local factions.
Trump’s latest threat came a day after he publicly criticised Hamas over internal operations within the enclave. His statements sparked a wide range of media and diplomatic reactions, raising concerns about their potential impact on fragile ceasefire agreements and ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating the situation in Gaza.
So far, the White House has not issued any official clarification regarding possible steps toward enforcing Trump’s threat or defining any U.S. military presence in Gaza. Meanwhile, international mediators continue to push for conditions that would secure a renewed ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid to re-enter the devastated enclave.
Prisoner Exchange and U.S.–Israeli Coordination
According to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Trump on Thursday evening about the pace of returning the bodies of Israeli captives from Gaza.
The report said Netanyahu briefed Trump on the measures Israel plans to take in response to what it claims are Hamas’s delays. Trump reportedly expressed support for Israel’s proposed steps.
In earlier statements to CNN, Trump warned that Israeli forces could resume their offensive in Gaza “with one word” from him, should Hamas fail to uphold its commitments under the ceasefire agreement.
He also stated that he was reconsidering what might happen if Hamas refused to disarm, emphasising that freeing captives from Gaza remained a critical objective for his administration.
On October 10, the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, brokered under Trump’s plan, went into effect.
Under this arrangement, Hamas and the Palestinian resistance factions released 20 living Israeli captives and handed over the bodies of several deceased prisoners. In exchange, Israel freed 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, as well as 1,718 detainees taken from Gaza following the events of October 7, 2023.
However, more than 10,000 Palestinians—men, women, and children—remain in Israeli prisons, where they continue to suffer torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to multiple Palestinian and Israeli human rights reports. Many have died in detention, further exposing the brutality of Israel’s occupation system.
Since October 7, 2023, and under full American support, Israel has committed an ongoing genocide in Gaza, killing over 67,913 Palestinians and injuring 170,134 others, the majority of whom are children and women. In addition, famine—caused by Israel’s deliberate blockade—has claimed 463 lives, including 157 children.
These atrocities stand as clear evidence of the U.S.–Israeli alliance’s disregard for human life, and underline the urgent need for the international Muslim community and global justice advocates to amplify their calls for accountability and to support the steadfast people of Gaza in their struggle against occupation and oppression.
