US President Donald Trump said Hamas would have only a brief window to lay down its weapons after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the United States works to reinforce the Gaza ceasefire and advance to the next phase of the agreement.
Here are the top key takeaways from the meeting:
Focus on Gaza
Trump and Netanyahu also discussed other areas of regional instability, including Syria and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.
Speaking at a news conference with Netanyahu in Florida, Trump said he hoped Netanyahu could “get along” with Syria’s new president, a former Islamist rebel commander who toppled long-term ruler Bashar-al-Assad a year ago, despite a series of Israeli strikes along their border, AFP reported.
Netanyahu’s trip follows an intense stretch of global diplomacy in Palm Beach, where Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday to discuss efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Gaza ceasefire reached in October stands as one of the key accomplishments of Trump’s first year back in office, with the United States and regional intermediaries aiming to maintain momentum.
According to axiosTrump is planning to announce as early as January the establishment of an interim governing authority and a multinational force.
But Trump gave few details beyond saying that he hoped “reconstruction” could begin soon in the Palestinian territory, devastated by Israeli attacks in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks.
Disarming Hamas remained a major obstacle, as the group’s military wing once again said it would not give up its weapons.
“Our people are defending themselves and will not give up their weapons as long as the occupation remains,” the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a video message.
Trump warns Iran, Hamas
US President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes and said Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm in Gaza, as he presented a united front with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
Trump threatened to “eradicate” any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program or ballistic missile arsenal following US and Israeli strikes earlier this year.
Trump also downplayed reports of tensions with Netanyahu over the second stage of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, saying that Israel had “lived up” to its commitments and that the onus was on Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“If they don’t disarm as they agreed to do, then there will be hell to pay for them,” Trump told reporters at his lavish Mar-a-Lago resort. “They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time.”
Hamas’s armed wing reiterated earlier on Monday that it would not surrender its weapons.
A top political adviser to Iran’s supreme leader on Monday said any aggression against his country would be met with an “immediate harsh response.”
“Iran’s Missile_Capability and defense are not containable or permission-based. Any aggression will face an immediate #Harsh_Response beyond its planners’ imagination,” Ali Shamkhani wrote on X.
Netanyahu calls meeting with Trump, ‘productive’
Netanyahu described his talks with Trump as “highly productive” and said Israel would bestow its top civilian award on the US president, marking the first time the honor has been granted to a non-Israeli.
Trump, the self-proclaimed “president of peace,” has been keen to move onto the next phase of the Gaza truce, which would see a Palestinian technocratic government installed and the deployment of an international stabilization force.
While some White House officials fear Netanyahu is slow-walking the process, Trump said he had “very little difference” with the Israeli premier and was “not concerned about anything that Israel’s doing.”
At their fifth meeting in the United States since Trump returned to office this year, Netanyahu also seemed to direct the US president’s attention toward Israel’s worries over Iran. In recent months, Israeli officials and media have voiced concerns that Iran is restoring its ballistic missile capabilities following damage sustained during the 12-day conflict with Israel in June.
Trump said Iran “may be behaving badly” and was looking at new nuclear sites to replace those targeted by US strikes during the same conflict, as well as restoring its missiles.
“I hope they’re not trying to build up again because if they are, we’re going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that buildup,” Trump said, adding that the US response “may be more powerful than the last time.”
But Trump said he believed Iran was still interested in a deal with Washington on its nuclear and missile programs. Tehran denies that it is seeking nuclear weapons.
(With inputs from agencies)
