Hamas to face ‘complete obliteration’ if power not ceded: Trump

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Hamas will face “complete obliteration” if the Palestinian group refuses to give up power and control of Gaza as he seeks to implement his Gaza peace plan to end conflict in the territory, in quite a contrast to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who called for Israel stopping to bomb Gaza for any progress.

When asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on board with ending the bombing in Gaza and supporting the United States’ broader vision, Trump told CNN, “Yes on Bibi.”

In an interview that aired on Sunday, Trump added that he expects to soon know whether Hamas is committed to peace.

Read more: Hamas ‘very keen’ to reach deal as talks begin in Sharm el-Sheikh

Meanwhile, the US president also said that the Gaza peace plan was a great deal for Israel.

Hamas drew a favorable response from Trump on Friday by saying it accepted certain key parts of his 20-point proposal, including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives.

The comments came despite the fact that a Hamas official said the group “is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions.”

Also on Sunday, Pakistan and seven other Muslim states “welcomed the steps taken by Hamas” and “reiterated their joint commitment to support efforts towards the implementation” of the Gaza peace plan, including transfer power to the Palestinian Authority in the coastal strip.

Read more: Eight Muslim nations welcome Hamas response to Gaza plan

STOP BOMBING GAZA

Separately, Rubio Israel needs to stop bombing Gaza for an eventual captive release by Hamas to take place.

“I think the Israelis and everyone acknowledge you can’t release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop,” Rubio told a TV channel. “There can’t be a war going on in the middle of it.”

However, Rubio said he hopes a deal between Israel and Hamas can be finalised early this week to allow the release of hostages from Gaza.

“All those talks are occurring, even as I speak to you now, we’re hoping it will be finalised very quickly, early this week,” he said.

“And I’m hoping, you know again, who knows the timeline? But this cannot take weeks or even multiple days. We want to see this happen very fast.”

However, Rubio said the war in Gaza has not yet ended despite Israel and Hamas both agreeing to parts of Trump’s plan for the strip.

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“We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics,” Rubio said about the release of hostages from Gaza.

It’s a developing story. Details to follow.