President Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday that the cease-fire brokered by his administration between Israel and Hamas is on solid ground.
“It’s not fragile. It’s very solid,” Trump told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell on “60 Minutes.”
“I mean, you’ve heard about Hamas, but if they don’t behave Hamas can be taken out immediately. They know this. If they don’t behave they can be taken out immediately,” he added.
When asked how he would be prepared to disarm Hamas, he said he would “disarm them very quickly.”
Trump’s comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that the bodies of three dead hostages had been handed over from Gaza. The bodies of the 11 dead hostages were reportedly still in Gaza before they were handed over Sunday, according to the Associated Press, the number of remains of 17 hostages Hamas has released since a ceasefire took effect in October.
The slow release of bodies by Hamas has threatened the ceasefire, with Israel urging the group to release bodies more quickly. In turn, the militant group has said that devastation caused by the war and lack of access to DNA kits has hindered the process of repatriating bodies.
While the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues, it has been hit by interruptions. According to the Associated Press, which cited Palestinian Health Ministry figures, 46 children, out of a total of 104 killed in Israeli military air strikes last week, were killed.
“Following a series of strikes that hit dozens of terrorist targets and terrorists, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] The IDF said in a post on Twitter on Wednesday that it had begun fresh enforcement of the ceasefire in response to Hamas violations.
