President Donald Trump said Monday that while he could order Israel to “eradicate” Hamas, he’s holding off to give the fragile Gaza ceasefire a chance to survive. “We made a deal with Hamas—they’re supposed to behave,” Trump told reporters. “If not, we’ll take care of it very quickly and very violently.”
Vice President JD Vance is in Israel to reinforce U.S. diplomatic efforts, while Trump advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem. According to Channel 12, the envoys urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to take actions that could jeopardize the truce.
The current ceasefire, part of Trump’s broader peace plan, includes Israel’s partial withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’s release of hostages. In exchange, Israel freed more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Despite ongoing tension, Israel and the U.S. appear committed to the deal’s “second phase”—a demilitarized, transitional government for Gaza. “Do not act in a way that would endanger the ceasefire,” Kushner and Witkoff reportedly told Netanyahu. “We want to move to the next stage.”
