(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (October 15) that he would consider allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military action in Gaza if Hamas fails to honor its end of the ceasefire agreement.

“Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word. If Israel could go in and knock the crap out of them, they'd do that,” Trump told CNN.

He added,“I had to hold them back,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces and Netanyahu administration.“I had it out with Bibi.”

Concerns over Hamas compliance

Trump's remarks come amid Israeli accusations that Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US, has not fully complied with the hostage-handling aspect of the ceasefire deal . Israel has noted that humanitarian aid shipments into Gaza could be delayed or reduced due to the limited number of deceased hostages returned by Hamas.

“What's going on with Hamas – that'll be straightened out quickly,” Trump said as per the news outlet.

Hostage returns under scrutiny

Trump's 20-point peace plan states,“Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.” As of Wednesday, all 20 living hostages had been returned to Israel . However, Hamas had delivered the bodies of only four individuals , and the Israeli military indicated that one of the returned bodies was not that of an Israeli hostage . Additional bodies are expected to be returned later Wednesday.

Hamas clashes and future demilitarization

Following the hostage release, violent clashes have erupted between Hamas and rival groups, including reports of a public execution . Trump warned that Hamas must disarm to avoid further conflict, as outlined in his 20-point peace plan , which proposes that Gaza be demilitarized and independently monitored, with Hamas barred from governance roles .

Trump added,“Right now, Hamas is going in and clearing out the gangs, violent gangs”, as per the news outlet.

When asked if innocent Palestinians might be harmed in these operations, Trump as quoted by the news outlet said,“I'm doing research on it. We'll find out about it. It could be gangs plus.”

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