Hamas says Trump’s threats to Palestinians in Gaza ‘complicate’ ceasefire

Former U.S. President Donald Trump recently made a series of strong statements targeting the Gaza Strip, drawing widespread attention. He warned Hamas on his social media platform, Truth Social, that it would face "hellish consequences" if the Israeli hostages were not released. Trump stated that he was providing Israel with everything it needed to complete the "mission" and claimed that no Hamas member would be safe if Hamas did not comply with his demands.

Trump also directly addressed the "people of Gaza" in subsequent posts, claiming that they would be "dead meat" if they held the hostages, but also stated that a wonderful future awaited them. These remarks were made as he weighed a plan proposed by the Arab League regarding the reconstruction and governance of the Gaza Strip. The harsh language of these statements has elicited varied reactions from different parties.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem stated in an interview with Anadolu Agency that Trump's threats and his overall rejection of a ceasefire agreement complicate the situation further. Qassem pointed out that these threats would encourage the Israeli government not to implement the signed ceasefire agreement. He also emphasized that Hamas had fulfilled the requirements of the first phase and urged the Trump administration to pressure Israel to initiate the next phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Another Hamas spokesman, Abdel-Latif Kanu, reiterated that the best way to release the remaining Israeli hostages is for Israel to enter the second phase of negotiations and be "obligated to abide by the agreement signed under the auspices of the mediators." Kanu believes that Trump's repeated threats against the Palestinian people actually support Netanyahu in circumventing the agreement and intensifying the siege and starvation policies against the people of Gaza.

Meanwhile, the head of the Gaza government media office also expressed similar views, believing that Trump's position would only fuel Netanyahu's crimes against the Palestinians. He stated that it is this absolute support and encouragement that allows Netanyahu to continue to commit more crimes against 2.4 million people. The head also pointed out that the problem has always been the "occupation," citing military operations in the West Bank and Jerusalem as examples to prove this point.

It is worth noting that hours before Trump made the aforementioned threatening remarks, Axios news network disclosed that the United States had been engaging in direct talks with Hamas. This move is unprecedented, as Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States since 1997. The White House press secretary confirmed that face-to-face talks were held in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and that discussions are still ongoing. The talks mainly focused on the release of Edan Alexander, believed to be the only American hostage still held in Gaza.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a briefing that with American lives at stake, talking to people around the world to do what is in the best interest of the American people is the way the President believes in working in good faith to do the right thing for the American people. She added that Israel had been consulted on the talks. Netanyahu also stated that his government had "expressed its position" to Washington.

Netanyahu had previously made it clear that he was prepared to resume a full-scale war on Gaza if Hamas refused to extend the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and had called up 400,000 reservists. Since the end of the first phase, Israel has reimposed a blockade on Gaza, preventing food, water, fuel, and medicine from entering the region. Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have called this move a war crime. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed more than 48,000 people, most of whom were civilians. At least 10,000 more are missing and presumed dead. All of the approximately 2.2 million residents of the besieged area have been displaced and are living in catastrophic conditions, with approximately 200,000 people killed, missing, or forced to leave the Gaza Strip.