US President Donald Trump has threatened that the resistance group Hamas would face "hell to pay" if it does not disarm quickly as part of the Gaza agreement, saying Israel was complying with its obligations under the deal.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the US president said disarmament was a requirement for moving forward.
"If they do not disarm as they agreed to do, then there will be hell to pay for them," Trump said.
"They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time."
Trump publicly voiced support for Netanyahu, who has taken a hardline on advancing to the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire plan.
"I’m not concerned about anything that Israel’s doing," Trump said.
Regional dimension
Earlier, Trump received Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, saying their talks would focus on Gaza as well as a number of regional and international issues.
The meeting was the fifth hosted by the United States since Trump returned to the White House nearly a year ago, and comes as negotiations over transitioning to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire remain stalled.
"I hope we reach the second phase of the Gaza plan very quickly," Trump said, adding that reconstruction in Gaza would begin soon if the required understandings are reached.
Trump also revealed a regional dimension to the discussions, saying he would speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the possibility of deploying Turkish forces as part of an international stabilisation force in Gaza.
Differences on the occupied West Bank
Trump also acknowledged differences between Washington and Tel Aviv over the occupied West Bank, saying the two sides do not agree "100 percent" on the issue.
"We have had a discussion, big discussion, for a long time on the West Bank, and I wouldn't say we agree on the West Bank 100 percent, but we’ll come to a conclusion," he said, adding that an announcement would come "at an appropriate time".
Referring to Netanyahu, Trump said: "He will do the right thing."
Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,103 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, wounded nearly 11,000 and detained around 21,000 since October 2023, Palestinian figures showed.
