Trump threatens to ‘eradicate’ Hamas if the Palestinian militant group doesn’t abide by ceasefire

President Trump threatened Monday to “eradicate” the Palestinian militant group Hamas if it doesn’t follow through with its ceasefire deal with Israel, saying a new military offensive in the region could be on the horizon.

“If we have to, they’ll be eradicated and they know that,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House during his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanase. “We’re going to go in and straighten it out, and it’ll happen very quickly and pretty violently.”

However, Mr. Trump made it clear that if the need for military force against Iran-backed Hamas is needed, it will not involve U.S. troops.

“No, it won’t be on the ground at all,” Mr. Trump said, adding that he has the power to tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to break the ceasefire and order the Israel Defense Forces to eradicate Hamas.

“I could tell him, go in and take care of it,” Mr. Trump said.

“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,” he added.

Despite his threat of military action against Hamas, the president noted that the individuals who attacked Israeli troops over the weekend in Gaza were not operating under Hamas’ leadership.

“I don’t believe it was the leadership, but they had some rebellion in there among themselves, and they killed some people,” Mr. Trump said. “But this is a violent group, you know, you probably noticed over the last 100 years, this is a very violent group of people and they got very rambunctious and they did things 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, unfortunately.”

The Israeli military renewed airstrikes on Gaza over the weekend, just days after signing a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal to end fighting in the enclave. Israel’s response came after an attack killed two of its soldiers. Media reports from Gaza said 26 people were killed in the airstrikes.

Israel struck Hamas field commanders, gunmen, a tunnel and weapons depots after militants launched an anti-tank missile at Israeli troops, killing the soldiers.