The situation between Hamas and Israel remains fragile despite the ceasefire agreement, as the 20-point peace plan — the next phase — drew a new reaction yesterday from U.S. President Donald Trump. He did not rule out the possibility of renewed military action in the future to ensure Hamas upholds its commitments, given that the exchange of dead hostages and continued attacks on militias have raised serious concerns about the consolidation of peace and the maintenance of the ceasefire in the region.

Although Hamas announced yesterday that it had handed over all the hostages’ bodies to which it had access, Israel informed the UN that the expected number of aid trucks permitted to enter Gaza might be delayed, due to Hamas’s slow release of the hostages’ remains. At the same time, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the army to draw up a plan to defeat Hamas should the war in Gaza resume. The Israel Defense Forces’ plan will outline the actions to be taken if Hamas refuses to implement President Trump’s peace agreement for Gaza and “it becomes necessary to renew the fighting,” according to a statement from Israel’s Ministry of Defense.

It is worth noting that under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas was to return all living and deceased hostages within 72 hours. In practice, however, only one-third — that is, 28 dead hostages — have been delivered. This delay prompted the intervention of the U.S. president, who sought to pressure the organization, leaving open the possibility of new military operations.

Speaking to CNN, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would consider allowing Israeli forces to resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to honor its commitments under the agreed ceasefire. Israeli forces could return “as soon as I give the order,” he said.

“Israel will go back to those streets the moment I say so. If Israel could go in and strike them, it would,” Trump said in a brief phone interview when asked what would happen if Hamas refused to disarm. “If Israel could go in and crush them, it would,” he added.

While acknowledging that Hamas has not yet returned the majority of the 28 bodies of hostages held in Gaza before the agreement was reached, Trump said: “The release of those 20 (living) hostages was of the utmost importance.”

Commenting on the execution of people allegedly collaborating with Israel by Hamas gunmen, the U.S. president said, “What’s happening with Hamas will be settled quickly,” adding that Hamas is “going in and cleaning up the gangs, the violent gangs.” When asked if those targeted by Hamas were innocent civilians, Trump replied, “I’m looking into it… We’ll find out. They could be gangs and others.”

As for his efforts to persuade Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to the Gaza ceasefire, Trump said, “I had to hold them back… I discussed it with Bibi,” concluding that he remained optimistic about the long-term prospects for peace, particularly given the strong support from other countries in the region.

A resilient peace

As President Trump explained, “Fifty-nine countries are involved in this,” referring to the ceasefire agreement and particularly to those nations that attended the ceremony in Egypt to sign the “Trump Peace Agreement” or expressed their support. “We’ve never seen anything like this. Now all of this is happening. They want to join the Abraham Accords. Now that Iran is no longer a problem.”

Against the backdrop of developments in the Middle East, “I’m working hard on the Russia issue,” the president emphasized, adding, “One’s been going on for three years, the other for three thousand,” comparing the achievement of peace between Hamas and Israel with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.