President Donald Trump issued a new ultimatum to Hamas as the ceasefire his administration brokered with Israel threatens to collapse after just days.
The truce agreement was presented as the first stage in a peace plan that calls for Hamas to disarm and Gaza to be handed over to a transitional government, and Trump threatened Tuesday morning to deploy allied troops to use "heavy force" to enforce those demands.
"Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and 'straighten our Hamas' if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us," Trump posted on Truth Social.
The Times of Israelreported that Indonesia so far is the only country to publicly express willingness to send troops into Gaza, but officials familiar with the matter told the publication that Azerbaijan and Turkey have privately expressed willingness to deploy there.
"The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years!" Trump posted. "It is a beautiful thing to behold! I told these countries, and Israel, 'NOT YET!' There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!"
"I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help," the U.S. president added. "Also, I would like to thank the great and powerful country of Indonesia, and its wonderful leader, for all of the help they have shown and given to the Middle East, and to the U.S.A. TO EVERYONE, thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."