WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Hamas will be “blown away” if the militant group doesn’t hand over its weapons as required by the US-brokered ceasefire.
“Hamas has agreed to give up their weapons,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. “They were born with a weapon in their hands, so it’s not easy to do,” he said. “They were born with a rifle in their hand. It’s not an easy thing for them, but that’s what they agreed to.”
Since agreeing to the ceasefire in mid-October, Hamas has offered mixed messages on whether the group will disarm. One of its senior officials in Doha, Basem Naim, told Al-Monitor in December that Hamas would begin laying down its weapons as part of a long-term ceasefire that includes guarantees that Israel won’t resume its attacks.
“If they don’t do it, they’ll be blown away very quickly,” Trump said of Hamas’ disarmament, adding that negotiators will know in the coming weeks “whether or not they’re going to do it.”
