US President Donald Trump has said he hopes to move to the second phase of the Gaza peace plan “very quickly”, warning that Hamas would face “hell to pay” if it failed to disarm within a short period.
Mr Trump made the remarks on Monday during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, where the two leaders discussed the future of the ceasefire in Gaza and broader regional security concerns.
Speaking at a joint press conference after the meeting, the US president said Israel had “lived up to the plan 100%”, despite continued Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire came into effect.
Asked how soon both sides should progress to the next stage of the agreement, Mr Trump said speed was essential but stressed that Hamas must first lay down its weapons.
“As quickly as we can. But there has to be disarmament,” he said.
Referring to Hamas, Mr Trump added: “If they don’t disarm as they agreed to do, then there will be hell to pay for them. They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time.”
The Gaza peace plan, which came into force in October, outlines a multi-phase process aimed at ending the conflict and rebuilding the devastated territory. Under the proposed second phase, a technocratic government would be established in Gaza, Hamas would disarm, Israeli troops would withdraw, and large-scale reconstruction would begin.
Mr Trump said rebuilding efforts could “begin pretty soon”, once the conditions of the next phase were met.
However, critics argue that Prime Minister Netanyahu may be seeking to delay the transition to phase two by insisting on Hamas’s disarmament before any Israeli withdrawal. The Israeli leader has faced accusations of avoiding meaningful engagement on the long-term political future of Palestinians.
Hamas officials have previously said they would only consider full disarmament alongside concrete steps towards the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
When asked whether he was concerned that Israel was not moving fast enough to advance the peace process, Mr Trump dismissed the suggestion.
“I’m not concerned about anything that Israel’s doing,” he said. “I’m concerned about what other people are doing, or maybe aren’t doing.”
Since the ceasefire took effect, at least 414 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel, which maintains control over more than half of the territory, says its forces have only opened fire in response to ceasefire violations and has accused Hamas of responsibility for the deaths of three Israeli soldiers during the same period.
During the press briefing, Mr Trump also warned that the United States could support further military action against Iran if it resumed efforts to develop nuclear weapons or ballistic missile capabilities.
“I hope they’re not trying to build up again,” he said. “Because if they are, we’re going to have no choice but to eradicate that build-up.”
Mr Trump said he had read reports suggesting Iran might be using alternative sites to those targeted during US air and missile strikes earlier this year. In June, the US president claimed the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities — a claim Tehran has strongly denied.
In response, Ali Shamkhani, a senior political adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on social media platform X that any aggression against Iran would be met with an “immediate harsh response”.
Iran, which fought a 12-day conflict with Israel in June, dismissed the reports as a “psychological operation” and said it remained fully prepared to defend itself. It warned that renewed attacks would result in “harsher consequences” for Israel.
Talks between Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu also covered other regional flashpoints, including Syria and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Mr Netanyahu said Israel was keen to ensure a peaceful border with Syria, while Mr Trump expressed hope that Israel would establish working relations with Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power after the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last year.
Israel has been wary of Mr al-Sharaa due to his past links to al-Qaeda and carried out air strikes on government buildings in Damascus in July.
“Well, I hope he’s going to get along with Syria,” Mr Trump said. “The new president of Syria is working very hard to do a good job. You’re not going to get a choir boy to lead Syria.”
In June, Mr Trump signed an executive order lifting long-standing US sanctions on Syria, signalling a shift in Washington’s approach to the country.