President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to Hamas that if the group fails to disarm, “we will disarm them quickly and violently.”
The president was questioned about the disarmament of the designated terrorist organization, which remains a key condition for Israel’s agreement to a ceasefire.
Although the US initially announced that an agreement had been reached, Hamas subsequently indicated its intention to continue negotiations.
“We’ll find out,” Trump responded when asked whether he believed Hamas was fulfilling its obligations under the peace deal.
Israel has said it will cut aid by enforcing the closure of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt tomorrow, claiming Hamas has violated the peace deal by not returning all the bodies of Israeli prisoners, reports the Express-USA
Despite the ceasefire aimed at keeping the crossing open, Israeli officials have confirmed that the Rafah border will remain closed tomorrow.
In an effort to put pressure on the designated terrorist group, Israel will also reduce the amount of aid entering Gaza.
Israeli officials have informed the UN that only 300 aid trucks, instead of the originally promised 600, will be allowed into Gaza, with no fuel or gas allowed except what is essential for humanitarian infrastructure. Following Israeli defense officials’ conclusion that Hamas has not made significant efforts to return the bodies of the remaining hostages, aid to Gaza will again be curtailed.
This was confirmed by Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, who stated that a note had been received from COGAT, the military branch that oversees aid flows to Gaza, outlining Israel’s new directive.
Yesterday, the terrorist organization released 20 living hostages and returned the bodies of four deceased. However, there are still 24 bodies in Gaza. The focus in Israel has now shifted to when Hamas will return all the remains of those killed in captivity.
In response to Israel’s announcement to limit aid, Hamas informed mediators that they would hand over the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages at 10 p.m., as reported by Express US.
Despite some expected delays in the recovery process, the hostages’ families and their lawyers have expressed disappointment that only four of the 28 bodies were returned on Monday. Provisions for such a scenario were included in last week’s agreement, which obliged Hamas to provide information on any remaining deceased hostages and “make maximum efforts to ensure that these obligations are met as soon as possible.”
Recovering the hostages’ bodies poses a major challenge. Both Hamas and the International Committee of the Red Cross have indicated that, due to widespread destruction across Gaza, the retrieval of the remains could take a significant period of time.
The deal also required Israel to provide details of the bodies of Palestinians who died while in Israeli detention.
“While hearts are filled with hope for the return of all hostages, our hearts are saddened by the high price you have paid and that you carry in your heart. Pain and difficulties that a stranger will never understand. This is the moment to tell you that we have not forgotten you and your loved ones,” the letter said.
“Thanks to the high price, we finally achieved the end of the war and the return of all hostages. For that we thank you and appreciate you. Forever and ever. We will always remember it and never forget it,” it said.
This correspondence appears to mark the first formal statement from the Prime Minister’s Office announcing that Israel has reached “the end of the war.”
While President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed the fighting has ended, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not expressed similar views. The government has not yet voted to end the war status announced on October 7, 2023, following attacks on Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.
These strikes led to the deaths of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 250, sparking a conflict.
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