US President Donald Trump has suggested that several Middle Eastern countries have offered to send forces to Gaza to fight Hamas, renewing his threats to the Palestinian group amid the territory’s fragile ceasefire.
“Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East and surrounding areas have explicitly and firmly informed me, with great enthusiasm, that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go to GAZA with a heavy force and ‘set our Hamas straight’ if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
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Trump did not specify which countries offered to enter Gaza, but he did single out Indonesia for its help in the region.
“I would like to thank the great and powerful country of Indonesia, and its wonderful leader, for all the help they have shown and given to the Middle East and the United States,” Trump said.
Jakarta and other governments have offered to send peacekeeping troops to restore security and stability in Gaza, but no country has said it would be willing to clash directly with Hamas.
“The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold! I told these countries, and Israel, ‘NOT YET!’ “There is still hope that Hamas will do the right thing,” said the US president.
“If they don’t, the end of Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS AND BRUTAL!”
Israel has killed nearly 100 Palestinians since the ceasefire went into effect on October 10.
Trump often makes similar threats to Hamas. But it is unclear what the United States or any other force can do to pressure the Palestinian group, which Israel has not done.
Over the past two years, Israel has killed most of Hamas’ political and military leaders while razing Gaza and imposing famine on the territory in a campaign that leading human rights groups and United Nations investigators call genocide.
Trump had been praising the ceasefire, which his administration helped negotiate, as a historic turning point in bringing peace to the region.
But since the beginning of the truce, Israel has been killing Palestinians who it claims were approaching areas under Israeli army control, which are not clearly marked.
Additionally, Israel has continued to restrict aid to Gaza despite commitments in the agreement to allow increased humanitarian assistance to the territory.
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, Israel has only allowed 986 aid trucks into the enclave since the start of the ceasefire, a fraction of the expected 6,600 trucks, at a rate of 600 daily.
On Sunday, the deal was on the brink when Israel launched a wave of airstrikes that killed dozens of Palestinians and completely suspended aid from entering Gaza after two Israeli soldiers were killed in Rafah.
Israel blamed Hamas for killing the troops, but the Palestinian group denied any involvement and stressed that the incident took place in an area under Israeli control.
Some American media reported that Israeli soldiers died after stepping over an unexploded ordnance.
In addition to the day-to-day issues that threaten the truce, questions remain about the long-term future of Gaza, including how the territory will be governed.
Trump has emphasized that Hamas must disarm, but the Palestinian group has linked the surrender of its weapons to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
On Sunday, Trump told Fox News that there is no strict timeline for disarming Hamas.
Later that day, his vice president, JD Vance, who is currently visiting Israel, suggested that it is necessary to deploy an international force in Gaza and establish a “security infrastructure” before Hamas disarms.
