Trump threatens Hamas with ‘complete obliteration’ if terror group refuses to relinquish power in Gaza

Despite pressuring Israel to uphold a ceasefire as part of the efforts to achieve his 20-point peace plan, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Hamas with “complete obliteration” if the group does not relinquish power in Gaza. 

Asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday what would happen if the terror group tried to retain power in Gaza, as negotiating teams head to Cairo to secure terms for a hostage release, Trump responded, “Complete obliteration!”

Tapper pressed Trump on Hamas’ commitment to the plan — presented during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington — by asking for his response to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s assertion that Hamas has not agreed to disarmament, as required by the proposal.

Graham wrote on X that the response was “in essence, a rejection by Hamas of President Trump’s ‘take it or leave it’ proposal.”

“Hamas’ recent response to President Trump’s plan to end the war, which Israel had accepted, is unfortunately predictable. A classic ‘Yes, but,’” Graham posted on Friday. 

“No disarmament, keeping Gaza under Palestinian control, and tying hostage release to negotiations, along with other problems,” he continued. “This is, in essence, a rejection by Hamas of President Trump’s 'take it or leave it' proposal.” 

“Is he [Senator Graham] wrong?” Tapper asked Trump. “We will find out. Only time will tell,” the president responded. 

Trump also indicated that, despite some reservations, Netanyahu is committed to the ceasefire. 

The text messages between Tapper and Trump followed the president’s announcement that Israel had agreed to the initial withdrawal line that Trump presented in the proposal. 

On Friday, Hamas indicated it would give a positive response to the 20-point proposal, but refrained from saying it had accepted the deal as presented. 

Graham’s Friday tweet was itself a response to a post by Reuters’ White House National Security Reporter Gram Slattery, who called the terror organization’s reply a “broadly selective response.” 

“The group appears to agree in principle to some key matters but says it is willing to negotiate others,” Slattery wrote. “Broadly selective response. Says it's willing to discuss many of the 20 points, but doesn't state it agrees to them.” 

Meanwhile, despite Israel agreeing to a ceasefire and placing its military in a defensive posture, Palestinians reported several Israeli strikes in Gaza on Sunday, as the IDF continued to respond to Hamas’ attempts to carry out attacks and seize tactically significant positions.

This article was originally published at All Israel News