Washington [US], December 30: In a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump said that Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip must disarm soon or face a heavy price.
CBS News reported on December 30th that US President Donald Trump said Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip must disarm soon, or "will pay the price in hell," adding that the next phase of the Gaza peace plan could be implemented quickly if Hamas disarms.
Standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump declared that dozens of other countries supporting the peace deal were ready to "destroy" Hamas if it did not disarm. He did not name any specific countries.
Trump said that Hamas "was given a very short time to disarm," adding that special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would monitor the process from the U.S. side.
"In total, 59 countries have signed on, major countries, including countries outside the Middle East, as you know. They want to get involved and wipe out Hamas. They don't need Israel , they don't need Israel to participate, they want to do it because it's the right thing to do. Because they support the agreement, based on the fact that Hamas has committed to disarming. Now, if they don't disarm, those same countries will wipe out Hamas," Trump said.
Regarding the West Bank issue, Mr. Trump said that he and Prime Minister Netanyahu have not yet reached a complete agreement.
For his part, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he had a "very productive meeting" and thanked the US President for his cooperation. He told reporters that Trump would be awarded the Israel Prize, Israel's most prestigious award, for his contributions to the peace negotiations.
"We have never awarded this prize to someone who is not Israeli. And this year we will award it to President Trump," Netanyahu told reporters.
Prior to the meeting, Trump said that phase two of the peace plan could begin "as quickly as possible," but "Hamas must disarm."
Phase one of the peace plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the provision of humanitarian aid. Phase two involves the disarmament of Hamas, ending its control and replacing it with a transitional government.
However, phase two has yet to be implemented. Hamas has refused to disarm and has not fully returned the remains of Israeli hostages, while Israel has recently conducted several airstrikes in Gaza .
The family of Israeli soldier Ran Gvili, who was killed in a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and whose remains have yet to be returned, was present at Mar-a-Lago on December 29.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper