Hamas and Islamic Jihad just tossed a grenade into President Donald Trump’s freshly inked ceasefire deal, refusing to lay down their weapons despite signing on to a peace plan that demands it.
Breitbart reported that just days after a high-profile signing ceremony in Egypt, these Palestinian terrorist groups have defied the core condition of Trump’s 20-point peace initiative, disarmament, while continuing violent acts and failing to return hostages, putting the entire agreement on the brink of collapse.
On Monday, Trump unveiled the ceasefire and peace plan, a framework explicitly requiring Hamas and Islamic Jihad to disarm as a stepping stone to Gaza’s reconstruction and the creation of a civilian police force.
Almost as soon as the ink dried, Hamas began violating the terms by executing Palestinians in Gaza City streets, targeting alleged collaborators, and engaging in deadly clashes with rival factions like the Doghmush clan.
Reports indicate over 30 people, labeled as “gang” members, have been killed in what security sources describe as a reign of terror aimed at consolidating power while Israeli forces withdraw.
Adding insult to injury, Hamas botched a key obligation by delivering the wrong bodies instead of returning hostages, with forensic tests on Wednesday revealing one corpse was a Palestinian from Gaza, not an Israeli hostage as promised.
By Tuesday, Islamic Jihad’s Deputy Secretary-General Muhammad Al-Hindi scoffed at the disarmament requirement on Al Jazeera, claiming, “Hamas and the resistance have not agreed to disarm.”
He doubled down, asserting that weapons belong to Palestinians and won’t be surrendered until a state is established, a condition nowhere in Trump’s plan. Talk about moving the goalposts.
Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal wasn’t much better, dodging questions on disarmament in a Friday Reuters interview and declaring his group’s intent to keep armed control over Gaza indefinitely.
Trump, never one to mince words, fired back on Tuesday, warning that disarmament isn’t up for debate and that force, potentially violent force, awaits if the groups don’t comply.
By Thursday, after a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he escalated the rhetoric on Truth Social, stating, “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”
Clearly, the patience of a dealmaker accustomed to getting his way is wearing thin, especially as Hamas has returned only 10 of 28 promised hostage bodies, including the misidentified corpse.
Families of hostages are understandably furious, urging Israel to halt the ceasefire’s next phase until Hamas fulfills its commitment to return all bodies of those killed in captivity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office echoed the sentiment, stating to Reuters that Hamas must release all hostages in the initial stage and disarm without excuses, warning that time is running out for compliance.
With ongoing violence, a refusal to disarm, and broken promises on hostages, this ceasefire looks more like a mirage than a path to peace, unless Trump and Israel can force a reality check on groups that seem allergic to keeping their word.