US President Donald Trump said he hopes the second phase of the Gaza peace plan can be achieved "very soon", warning that Hamas will face "serious consequences" if it does not disarm in time.
Trump made the comments during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on Monday. During a press conference after the talks, Trump said that Israel has "implemented the plan 100 percent," despite the Israeli military's continued attacks on Gaza.
The US president also stated that the US could support another major strike on Iran if Tehran resumes rebuilding its ballistic missile or nuclear weapons programs.
In response to Trump's threats, the top political advisor to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Shamkhani, wrote on the X platform that any aggression against Iran would be met with an "immediate and harsh response."
Asked how quickly Hamas and Israel should move to the second phase of the peace plan, Trump replied: “As soon as possible. But there has to be disarmament.” Speaking of Hamas, he added: “If they don’t disarm, as they have agreed to — and they have agreed to — then there will be serious consequences for them. They have to disarm within a relatively short period of time.”
Trump also said that the reconstruction of Gaza could "start very soon."
The Gaza peace plan came into effect in October. The second phase envisages the establishment of a technocratic government in the devastated territory, the disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. The reconstruction of Gaza will then begin.
However, critics have suggested that Netanyahu may try to delay the process by first demanding Hamas disarmament before Israeli troops withdraw. The Israeli prime minister has been accused of not wanting to seriously commit to a political future for the Palestinians. Hamas officials have said that complete disarmament must go hand in hand with progress towards an independent Palestinian state.
Asked if he was concerned that Israel was not moving quickly enough toward the second phase of the plan, Trump said Israel had “implemented the plan.” “I’m not concerned about anything Israel is doing; I’m concerned about what others are doing or not doing,” he added.
Since the ceasefire came into effect, at least 414 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The Israeli military, which controls more than half of Gaza, has said it only opened fire in response to ceasefire violations and has blamed Hamas for the killing of three Israeli soldiers in the same period.
During the conference, Trump also warned that the US would launch further strikes on Iran if it was found to be using other sites to develop nuclear weapons. In June, Trump had claimed that US air and missile strikes had “destroyed” Iran’s nuclear facilities, a claim that Tehran has denied, insisting it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons.
"I hope they're not trying to rebuild, because if they are, we'll have no choice but to eliminate that rebuild," Trump said, adding that he had read reports that Iran could be using "different locations" than those hit over the summer.
Iran, which fought a 12-day war with Israel in June, called the reports a "psychological operation" against Tehran and warned that any new aggression would bring "even more severe consequences" for Israel.
The talks between Trump and Netanyahu also covered other regional flashpoints, including Syria and the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Netanyahu said Israel is interested in a peaceful border with Syria, while Trump expressed hope that Israel would cooperate with the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last year.
Israel has expressed suspicions about the new Syrian leader, a former al-Qaeda member, and bombed government buildings in Damascus in July. “I hope he [Netanyahu] does well with Syria, because the new president is working very hard to do a good job,” Trump said. “He’s strong. You’re not going to find an angel leading Syria.”
Trump signed an executive order in June lifting US sanctions on Syria.
