President Trump. Reuters=Yonhap News. 

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on the 16th (local time) that if the Palestinian militant group Hamas continues its acts of killing in the Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire agreement, the United States may take direct action.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social that day, President Trump stated, "If Hamas continues its killings in Gaza, that is not part of the agreement, and we have no other choice but to go in and kill them."

While President Trump did not specify which actions by Hamas he considered a violation of the agreement, his remarks appear to be related to recent reports that Hamas is purging political opponents in connection with its control of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas had previously agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire deal with Israel and released 20 surviving Israeli hostages who had been held in captivity.

Subsequently, both sides began second-phase negotiations to discuss the disarmament of Hamas, the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the deployment of an international stabilization force, though difficulties are expected.

President Trump had previously warned Hamas on the 14th, saying, "If you don't disarm, we will disarm you," adding that "the way (of disarmament) will likely be violent."

Yonhap News