President Donald Trump threatened Hamas with a familiar ultimatum on Friday, warning they could accept his peace plan or be hunted down and killed.
Trump, 79, just days ago had urged Hamas to accept his 20-point plan to end the conflict in Gaza during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Friday, the president upped the pressure with an ultimatum to accept the proposal or be “extinguished.”
“As retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas ‘soldiers’ have already been killed. Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, ‘GO,’ for their lives to be quickly extinguished,” Trump wrote.
“As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed,” the president added.
The president wrote that he was giving members of Hamas until 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday to accept the agreement.
“Fortunately for Hamas, however, they will be given one last chance!” he wrote. “Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East.”
The president wrote in all caps that the deal spares the lives of all remaining Hamas members, but if they don’t agree to it, there would be hell to pay.
“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” he wrote.
While the post ups the pressure for the deal, it also has the potential to cause mass confusion and chaos for those in the region as he urged Palestinians to get out of the way of a future onslaught.
“I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza,” he claimed. “Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help.”
On Monday, Trump met with Netanyahu at the White House where they announced Israel had agreed to Trump’s 20-point proposal. The president also signaled other countries in the Middle East were onboard.
The plan set out a series of conditions that must be met but could eventually lead to a two-state solution while also barring Israel from annexing Gaza.
It laid out how if both sides agreed to the deal, the war would immediately end and Israeli forces would withdraw to a line in preparation for all living hostages and bodies of the deceased to be returned.
The plan also outlined how a temporary Palestinian committee would take responsibility for daily operations. A new “Board of Peace” with heads of state and chaired by Trump would begin the process of rebuilding Gaza.
While it granted amnesty to Hamas members who laid down weapons, Hamas had not yet agreed to it at the time of Trump’s joint press conference.
Friday’s post was not the first time Trump has issued a fire and brimstone style threat to Hamas since returning to office in January, but it is the first since he revealed his peace plan.
In March, the president issued a “last warning” to Hamas as he demanded the return of hostages.
“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on March 6.
He said “it is OVER for you” if Hamas did not return the hostages.
Trump also said in December before retaking office that there would be “hell to pay” if Hamas did not release all the hostages before he was sworn in.
