President Donald Trump on Monday sharpened his warnings to Hamas, saying the militant group would have “hell to pay” if it does not disarm to unlock the next phase of a U.S.-brokered Gaza peace plan, while also issuing renewed threats toward Iran after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said Hamas would be given only a “very short period of time” to surrender its weapons, a condition he has made central to moving the ceasefire into a second, more complex phase.
“If they don’t disarm, the consequences will be horrible,” Trump said, suggesting that countries other than the United States or Israel could act against those responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw roughly 250 abducted. “Those same countries will go and wipe them out,” he added.
Trump’s remarks underscored mounting pressure on Hamas as negotiations over Phase 2 of the ceasefire have stalled, even as fighting has slowed. Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed more than 70,000 people since the war began, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in late November, a toll that has continued to rise despite the truce.
The president voiced full confidence in Israel’s conduct, saying it had “lived up to the plan 100%” and dismissing concerns about Israeli actions undermining the agreement. Asked whether settler violence in the occupied West Bank could derail the process, Trump acknowledged differences with Netanyahu but said he believed the Israeli leader would “do the right thing.”
“We don’t agree on the West Bank 100%,” Trump said. “But we will come to a conclusion.”
Alongside the Gaza talks, Trump also warned Iran that it could face new consequences if it attempts to rebuild nuclear facilities damaged earlier this year in U.S. strikes. He said Tehran “may be behaving badly” and hinted at swift retaliation if intelligence confirms renewed activity.
“If it’s confirmed, there will be consequences,” Trump said. “Very powerful, maybe more powerful than last time.”
Iran responded within hours. Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said any new aggression would draw an immediate and forceful response, Iran’s state-run Nour News agency reported.
Netanyahu used the meeting to praise Trump effusively, calling him Israel’s strongest ally. “We’ve never had a friend like President Trump in the White House,” Netanyahu said, later announcing that Israel would award Trump the Israel Prize, the country’s highest honor, marking the first time it would go to a non-Israeli.
Trump returned the praise, describing Netanyahu as a “strong man” and suggesting Israel’s survival depended on such leadership.
The Florida talks came as Washington seeks to revive momentum behind Phase 2 of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which has already received approval from the U.N. Security Council. That phase envisions an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas laying down its arms and the creation of new governance and security mechanisms, including a Trump-led “Board of Peace” and an International Stabilization Force. Key details, however, remain unresolved.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this month that the administration aims to establish the new governance structures “very soon.” Rubio met Netanyahu ahead of the prime minister’s session with Trump.
Netanyahu was also expected to brief Trump on Israeli concerns over Iran’s ballistic missile program and nuclear ambitions. Israeli officials believe Tehran has been expanding missile production and are preparing options for potential further strikes, NBC News reported, citing current and former U.S. officials.
Asked whether he would support Israeli action against Iran, Trump suggested that any nuclear escalation would prompt immediate U.S. involvement, though he left the door open to diplomacy. Despite U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June, Trump said he remains open to renewed talks with Tehran.
Monday’s meeting followed Trump’s talks a day earlier with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, highlighting the administration’s parallel efforts to broker peace in both Europe and the Middle East. While Trump has pushed aggressively for an end to the war in Ukraine, progress in Gaza has lagged, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of ceasefire violations.
Since the truce took effect in October, more than 400 people have been killed in Gaza, local officials say, and disputes over hostages and remains have fueled doubts about whether the fragile ceasefire can advance.
By publicly escalating his rhetoric toward Hamas and Iran, Trump signaled a willingness to apply pressure on multiple fronts, betting that blunt warnings — backed by the prospect of force — can break the deadlock and push his peace initiative into its next, most consequential stage.
