Trump: Hamas will disarm, or ‘we will disarm them’

President Trump said Tuesday he expected Hamas to decommission its weapons as stipulated in the negotiated peace agreement, or the U.S. would step in.

“They’re going to disarm, because they said they were going to disarm,” Trump said. “And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”

Trump later clarified he did not communicate directly with Hamas, but that the message was delivered “through my people, at the highest levels.”

“They know I’m not playing games,” Trump said.

Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, has come under criticism from Israel and Trump for failing to return more bodies of deceased hostages taken during the October 2023 terrorist attacks.

Hamas on Monday released the 20 remaining living Israeli hostages as part of the ceasefire agreement, while Israel released thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

Trump on Monday, during his trip to Israel and Egypt, was adamant that the war between Hamas and Israel was “over” and that the peace deal he helped broker would hold.

But experts and even some Trump allies are less certain, pointing to various obstacles that remain to ensure a lasting peace in the region. The peace plan requires Hamas to decommission its weapons, and it’s unclear whether the militant group will do so.

Trump himself posted on Truth Social earlier Tuesday that “the job IS NOT DONE.”

“THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase Two begins right NOW!!!” Trump posted.