Trump warns Hamas: the terrorist group 'will be annihilated' if it doesn't relinquish power in Gaza

Hamas faces "total annihilation" if it doesn't relinquish power in the Gaza Strip. This was the warning that United States President Donald Trump issued to the terrorist group this Sunday, amid negotiations to end the war in the enclave.

The president gave this warning to Hamas in a text message exchange with host Jake Tapper. Hamas has stated that it plans to move forward with the peace agreement proposed by the U.S. with the backing of Arab nations, but it has not yet begun the first phase of this process, which is the release of the Israeli hostages in its custody.

"We'll find out. Only time will tell!," was the message that Trump sent to Tapper in response to the remarks of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who believes that the Palestinian terrorist organization doesn't want to achieve peace with Israel and seeks to continue governing the Strip.

Peace or obliteration

The U.S. president reaffirmed a few hours ago that he expected Hamas to begin releasing the hostages "very soon." In addition, he emphasized that his peace plan "is a great deal for Israel, for the entire Arab world, the Muslim world, and the world, so we're very happy about it."

"They're negotiating right now as we speak," Trump told the press. "It'll take a couple of days. We'll see how it turns out, but I've heard it's going very well." The terrorist group still holds 48 hostages in captivity. It is estimated that only 20 of them are still alive.

Last week, the White House launched a 20-point framework that provides a path to peace between the two peoples. This framework has the support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and major Arab nations such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Qatar, which are acting as mediators in this process.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated this morning that the aforementioned plan represents "the closest we've been to freeing all the hostages". But if they're not going to be released and Hamas is just playing games, Rubio added, the U.S. response is clear. That response, according to Trump, will be the total annihilation of the Palestinian group.