Trump vows to "eliminate" Hamas if it violates Gaza agreement

SadaNews - President Donald Trump has vowed to "eliminate" the Hamas movement if it violates the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, stating that he has not asked Israel to return to fighting.

Trump added, during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, that he is taking several steps to maintain the ceasefire.

The US president said: "We will give Hamas a chance, and it no longer has the support of Iran," emphasizing: "I did not ask Israel to return to fighting in Gaza.".

A Palestinian official close to the ceasefire talks indicated that Arab mediators and the United States will intensify their efforts today, Monday, after helping restore calm in the sector following a day of intense bombing that resulted in at least 28 deaths, according to Reuters.

Israel stated that it launched airstrikes on the sector yesterday, Sunday, in response to a Palestinian attack that led to the deaths of two soldiers who were operating within the agreed-upon deployment line in Rafah, Gaza. It described this as a blatant violation by Hamas of the truce.

Both Israel and Hamas stated that they remain committed to the ceasefire after the events of Sunday. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed that it was not aware of the clashes in Rafah and had not been in contact with groups there since March.

Hamas detailed what it described as a series of Israeli violations that it said had led to the deaths of 46 people and prevented the delivery of essential supplies to the sector.