Trump threatens Hamas amid push on next Gaza truce steps

JERUSALEM/CAIRO - US President Donald Trump threatened Hamas on Oct 21 with “FAST, FURIOUS & BRUTAL” force if it does not “do what is right”, as he pushes for the more complex stage of a Gaza ceasefire that has already been repeatedly tested.

Increasing the pressure on the Palestinian militant group, Mr Trump said in a social media post that numerous US allies had said they would welcome the chance to go into Gaza and hit Hamas, but he had told them and Israel “not yet”.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of repeated breaches of the truce since it came into effect on Oct 10, with flashes of violence and recriminations over the pace of hostage bodies being returned, aid flow and borders opening.

US Vice-President J.D. Vance, who arrived in Israel on Oct 21, is due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Oct 22 for talks focused on security challenges and political opportunities.

They are expected to discuss Mr Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan that will require moving beyond the existing, shaky ceasefire, to much more difficult steps including the disarmament of Hamas and a path towards a Palestinian state.

The trip follows talks on Oct 20 between Mr Netanyahu and US envoys Steven Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and comes as Hamas meets mediators in Cairo.

Israel is pressing for stronger assurances on Hamas disarming – a step to which the group has so far refused to commit – said a source briefed on the matter.

Hamas’ Cairo talks, led by the group’s exiled leader Khalil al-Hayya, are looking at prospects for the next phase of the truce and post-war arrangements in Gaza as well as stabilising the existing ceasefire.

The head of intelligence for key Gaza mediator Egypt met Mr Netanyahu earlier on Oct 21 to discuss advancing the ceasefire plan and other issues, Israel said.

The intelligence chief, Mr Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, will later meet Mr Witkoff, Egyptian television reported.

Underscoring the fragility of the truce, Qatar, another of the mediators, on Oct 21 accused Israel of “continuous violations”. It and Turkey, which has used its role to bolster its regional position, have been key interlocutors with Hamas.

Future role of Hamas?

Mr Trump’s plan calls for the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by an international board, with Hamas taking no role in governance.

A Palestinian official close to the talks said Hamas encouraged the formation of such a committee to run Gaza without any of its representatives, but with the consent of the group as well as the Palestinian Authority and other factions.

Last week, senior Hamas official Mohammed Nazzal told Reuters the group expected to maintain a security role on the ground in Gaza during an undefined interim period.

Hamas last week battled rival gangs on the streets in Gaza and

publicly executed men

it accused of having collaborated with Israel.

Mr Trump condoned the killings, but the US military’s Middle East command urged Hamas to stop violence “without delay”.

Mr Vance was expected on Oct 21 to visit the headquarters of joint forces led by the US military and meant to help with Gaza stabilisation efforts.

Return of hostage bodies and aid deliveries

Speaking to Egyptian television late on Oct 20, Mr Hayya reaffirmed Hamas’ compliance with the truce and said it would fulfil its obligations in the first phase, including returning more bodies of hostages.

“Let their (hostages) bodies return to their families, and let the bodies of our martyrs return to their families to be buried in dignity,” he said.

Hamas released another hostage body late on Oct 20 and said it would hand over two more late on Oct 21. That would leave another 13 bodies in Gaza.

Israel believes Hamas could return more bodies faster but has recognised that some remains would likely need a slower, more complex, process of location and retrieval.

Israel handed back another 15 Palestinian bodies on Oct 21, the local health authorities said, taking the total it has returned to Gaza to 165.

Inside Gaza on Oct 21, more aid was flowing into the enclave through two Israeli-controlled crossings, Palestinian and United Nations officials said.

However, with Gaza residents facing catastrophic conditions, aid agencies have said far more needs to be brought in.

The UN World Food Programme said supplies were ramping up but fell far short of its daily target of 2,000 tonnes, saying this was because only two crossings into Gaza were open.

It said none had reached the famine-hit north of Gaza yet.

Violence in Gaza since the truce has mostly focused around the “yellow line” demarcating Israel’s military pullback.

On Oct 21, Israel’s public Kan radio reported troops had killed a person crossing the line and advancing towards them.

Palestinians near the line, running across devastated areas close to major cities, have said it is not clearly marked and hard to know where the exclusion zone begins.

Israeli bulldozers began placing yellow concrete blocks along the route on Oct 20.

The Gaza Health Ministry said on Oct 21 at least seven Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire across the enclave over the previous 24 hours, bringing to 68,229 the total number killed since the war began. REUTERS