Trump Warns Hamas Will Be “Eradicated” If It Breaches Gaza Deal — Says He’ll Give Truce a Chance

US President Donald Trump on Monday issued a stark warning to Hamas, saying the militant group would be “eradicated” if it violated the ceasefire agreement with Israel — while signalling he would still give the truce an opportunity to hold.

Speaking to reporters at the White House as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Trump said the United States helped broker the deal and expects Hamas to comply.

“We made a deal with Hamas that they’re going to be very good, they’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice. And if they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them, if we have to. They’ll be eradicated, and they know that,” he said.

Trump acknowledged recent threats to the fragile arrangement, noting Israeli complaints that Hamas has been slow to hand over the remains of dead hostages and that militants have launched attacks. He also warned Hamas to cease public executions of rivals and alleged collaborators as it seeks to reassert control in Gaza.

At the same time, Trump made clear that he did not intend to commit US ground forces to confront Hamas. He said a multinational stabilization force — which “dozens of countries” have agreed to join — and Israel itself could act if required.

“In addition, you have Israel would go in in two minutes, if I asked them to go in,” Trump said. “But right now, we haven’t said that. We’re going to give it a little chance, and hopefully there will be a little less violence. But right now, you know, they’re violent people.”

He added a blunt assessment of the consequences if provocations continue:

“They got very rambunctious, and they did things that they shouldn’t be doing, and if they keep doing it, then we’re going to go in and straighten it out, and it’ll happen very quickly and pretty violently.”

Trump claimed Hamas has been weakened regionally, saying the group “doesn’t have the backing of really anybody anymore,” and argued Iran — a key regional backer — is less likely to intervene after recent US and Israeli strikes.

“They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they’ll be eradicated,” he stressed.

The White House comments came as US officials moved to the region: Vice President J.D. Vance departed for Israel on Monday, joining two senior US envoys already in the country. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss developments and updates in the area, the prime minister’s office said. Vance and his wife, Usha, left Washington for Israel without comment and were also due to meet Netanyahu.

The remarks underline Washington’s dual approach: press for compliance with the truce while keeping military options visible should the ceasefire unravel.