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Trump threatens to ‘eradicate’ Hamas
The US president has said he would “straighten it out” if the militant group fails to honor the Gaza truce deal with Israel
FILE PHOTO. People search through buildings that were destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip in Khan Yunis, Gaza. © Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
US President Donald Trump has threatened to “eradicate” Hamas if it does not abide by its ceasefire agreement with Israel. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, he said that he would give Hamas “a little chance” to honor the deal.
“We made a deal with Hamas that they’re going to be very good, they’re going to behave,” Trump said. “And if they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them. If we have to, they’ll be eradicated.”
“They got very rambunctious, and they did things that they shouldn’t be doing. And if they keep doing it, then we’re going to go in and straighten it out. And it’ll happen very quickly and pretty violently, unfortunately.”
Israel and the Palestinian militant group agreed to a ceasefire in early October under Trump’s 20-point peace plan. On Sunday, however, violence flared again as a Palestinian attack that killed two Israeli soldiers triggered Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 28 people in Gaza. Israel and Hamas both recommitted to the ceasefire plan after that.
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Internal clashes in Gaza have also created a volatile security situation in the battered enclave, with violence erupting between Hamas and rival groups. According to media outlets, the group killed at least 32 men over the weekend.
After that, Trump threatened to “go in and kill” Hamas. Under the peace plan, the group is to disarm and give up control of Gaza. However, they are acting as a security force in the enclave “for a period of time.”
After Hamas won elections in Gaza in 2006, the group became embroiled in clashes with the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the occupied West Bank. Although the PA viewed Hamas as illegitimate, opinion polls at the time showed that the group enjoyed majority support. No elections have been held in the Palestinian territories since 2006.
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