Donald Trump has claimed US allies in the Middle East have offered to send “heavy force” into Gaza to “straighten out Hamas”.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president wrote that unnamed leaders in the region had told him “explicitly and strongly” that they would act against the militant group “if they continue to act badly”.
“There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help,” he wrote.
Trump did not clarify which of the Middle Eastern countries had offered to fight Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and the US have all been involved in diplomatic negotiations but it is unclear whether they will provide military help.
The UK defence ministry said a small number of British troops, including a senior commander, have travelled to Israel to support US-led efforts to stabilise what has proven to be a fragile ceasefire in the war-ravaged enclave.
Trump’s comments came as his vice-president JD Vance landed in Israel for a two day visit to try and progress the US ceasefire deal in Gaza. During a press conference, Vance reiterated Trump’s warning on Monday that Hamas must “behave” or face “severe repercussions”.
He threatened that Hamas would be “obliterated” if they did not play ball, although he reiterated there would be no US boots on the ground in Gaza.
Vance also downplayed the significance of recent violence, with Israel killing scores of people in Gaza after accusing Hamas of breaching the ceasefire, claiming the implementation of the ceasefire was going “better than expected” and that the Israeli government had been “remarkably helpful”.
He also tried to downplay any idea that his visit was urgently arranged to keep the ceasefire in place. “My visit had nothing to do with the events of the past 48 hours,” he said, during his first visit to Israel as vice-president.
The vice-president conceded the location of some of the dead hostages’ bodies in Gaza remains unknown and urged a “little bit of patience” amid Israeli frustration over Hamas' pace of returning remains.
Hamas handed over the bodies of two more deceased hostages on Tuesday evening, bringing the number of dead captives and hostages remaining in Gaza down to 13.
Vance warned Hamas must disarm or “very bad things are going to happen” during his comments to reporters, although he declined to place a deadline on the group, saying: “I don’t think it’s actually advisable to say this has to be done in a week.”
President Trump wants Hamas and other factions to disarm and Gaza to be demilitarised as part of his peace deal. But the group has never accepted this and says mediators have not yet officially started discussing the issue with it.
At least 97 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, according to Gaza’s health authorities, since a ceasefire was announced on 11 October.
The Israeli military said it fired at “terrorists” who crossed an invisible “yellow line” in Rafah on Sunday, which marked a withdrawal point for Israeli troops who remain occupying 53 per cent of the Gaza Strip. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the exchange, according to the Israeli military. Israel temporarily cut off aid in response.
Hamas said it had no knowledge of individuals operating in the Rafah region and had not been in touch with groups there since March.
Israel demands that the body of every hostage be returned. Hamas has requested specialist equipment to find the remains.
The militant group has drawn increased criticism after it executed seven Palestinians last week for “collaborating with Israel”. Following the announcement of a ceasefire, Israel-backed militias, armed clans and Hamas factions have began fighting each other amid a power vacuum in the Strip.
Two of the groups The Independent spoke to denied accusations that they were backed or supported by Israel.
Hossam al-Astal, running an armed faction called the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force, also behind Israeli lines, told The Independent he is already in touch with the Trump administration about the plan for a post-war Gaza, and wants to work with Tony Blair.
“Today, we’re the ones who are there with credibility,” he says. “We are determined and capable. In the near future, it will be us, not Hamas.”
US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, landed in Tel Aviv on Monday to work on the second phase of a 20-point ceasefire agreement.
Kushner, a businessman, boasted about his strong relationships with countries in the Middle East, stating that his strong cultural awareness created a relationship of trust.
“We have trusted relationships in the Arab world and even in Israel, where we’ve both done business in the past. But that means they trust us,” he told 60 Minutes.
“We understand their cultures. We understand how they work. And we’re able to use that knowledge and skill set to try to do things that advance the world.”
The pair met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss “developments and updates in the region”, having played a leading role in the first phase of negotiations.
