His warning follows an appeal from an Israeli-supported Gaza militia leader who accused Hamas of terrorizing civilians post-ceasefire. (Image: Social Media)
US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Hamas on Thursday, demanding an end to the killings in the Gaza Strip. On his Truth Social post, Trump warned: “If Hamas keeps killing people in Gaza, which wasn’t part of the deal, we’ll have no choice but to go in and kill them.” This marks a big change in the President’s stance and raises questions about possible future U.S. action.
Just days before his warning, President Trump had expressed a different view of the situation. On Tuesday, he claimed that he had given Hamas "approval for a period of time" to carry out killings, suggesting the group was targeting "very bad gangs." This previous stance created confusion and contrasted with the message from US military leadership in the Middle East, which had called on Hamas to stop attacks on "innocent Palestinian civilians." By Wednesday, Trump appeared to be reconsidering, telling CNN he was doing "more research on it," and that "It could be gangs plus."
While President Trump used the word "we" in his threat to "go in and kill them," he did not explicitly specify which forces he was referring to. Considering the conflict and Hamas’s presence in Gaza, most interpret “we” to mean Israeli forces. The statement signals strong U.S. support for possible Israeli military action if the violence inside Gaza continues, showing clear alignment with Israel’s side.
The escalating internal violence in Gaza was highlighted by Hossam al-Astal, a militia leader in the Khan Younis area who operates with Israeli support. In a video appeal, he thanked Trump for his ceasefire efforts but then pleaded for international protection from Hamas. "We came out of a military war into a war of terrorists," al-Astal stated, accusing Hamas of killing hundreds of children, women, and other civilians. His appeal painted a dire picture of the post-ceasefire environment, framing Hamas as the primary threat to Gaza's residents.
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Hossam al-Astal's message was a direct call for intervention and a change in governance. He insisted that his group's goal was not to seize power for themselves. "We want to move the people from Hamas’s rule to civilian rule that will serve the residents. We want peace and we want to live," he said. In line with President Trump's later warning and lending local validity to the global threat, this appeal from within Gaza offers justification for outside intervention.
Disclaimer: This report is based on public statements from official and militant sources, the situation is dynamic and subject to change.
