President Donald Trump on Monday delivered a message that cut like steel through the noise of diplomacy: Hamas must “be good” — or “be eradicated.”
“They’re violent people. Hamas has been very violent, but they don’t have the backing of Iran anymore,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“They don’t have the backing of really anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they’ll be eradicated.”
It was vintage Trump. Plain talk from a president who has never believed that peace is made with platitudes. The warning came as special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner met with leaders in Israel to preserve the fragile cease-fire the president himself had brokered.
Their discussions included a tense session with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who suspended entry into Gaza after two Israeli soldiers were killed. Israel’s military responded with retaliatory strikes that Hamas claims killed 26.
Trump’s team — the same architects behind the surprise breakthrough that cooled one of the world’s hottest fault lines — is now racing to hold it together. Vice President JD Vance is expected in Israel on Tuesday, the next American voice in a chorus meant to keep the peace and keep Hamas in check.
Past presidents have promised calm in the Middle East. Trump is enforcing it.
Watch the clips below:
🚨 President Trump just sent a clear warning to Hamas:
"We made a deal with Hamas. They are going to behave and be nice and if not, they will be eradicated."pic.twitter.com/5G63ZGhIwV
— CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) October 20, 2025
🚨 REPORTER: You say 'WE' will eradicate Hamas. Is that American boots on the ground?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No. We have 59 countries. Countries called me when Hamas started killing saying, 'We'd LOVE to go in and take care of it ourselves.' Israel would go in too within 2 minutes. I… pic.twitter.com/VLkUPGQYvF
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 20, 2025
