President Donald Trump said that “we would have no choice but to go in and kill” Hamas if the group does not end its conflict with the opposition Palestinian factions. Trump has said multiple times in the past week that Hamas can take out rival gangs.
“If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the President wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
The statement is a reversal of Trump’s previous remarks on inter-Palestinian fighting. When Trump was asked about Hamas killing members of a rival faction on Tuesday, Trump replied, “That’s OK, it’s a couple of very bad gangs.”
On Sunday, Trump said Hamas had approval for the security operations under the ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement.
Hamas has fought members of the Dughmush clan and Popular Front. Hamas said it was hunting members of the Popular Force led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The Popular Forces are linked to ISIS.
Trump’s new position comes as the ceasefire appears to be hanging by a thread. Tel Aviv claims Hamas is not returning the bodies of deceased hostages rapidly enough and has halved the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza.
