U.S. President Donald Trump praised Palestinian militant group Hamas for helping Israel recover the bodies of the last Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza.

In an interview with U.S. internet media Axios on the 26th (local time), President Trump said the process of searching for and identifying the hostages' bodies on the ground "was very difficult," and that "they (Hamas) worked very hard to get the bodies back."

He added, "They were working with Israel. You can imagine how difficult that was."

The parents of Ran Gvily, whose body was recovered this time, were present with President Trump when he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida last month.

Recalling this, President Trump said, "Please tell (Gvily's) parents that I am very happy."

He also stated that he received reports on the recovery of the bodies from his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and had spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who "was very happy."

As Israel has cited the return of Gvily's body as an important prerequisite for the second phase of its Gaza peace initiative, attention is focused on whether the implementation of the second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas, will gain momentum.

President Trump emphasized to Hamas, "Now you must disarm as promised."

Regarding the view that Hamas's disarmament would not be easy, President Trump highlighted that the first phase of implementation, which involved the return of all living and deceased hostages, had many skeptics, yet it was actually achieved.

"Nobody thought we could bring back all the hostages. That was a great moment," President Trump said.

President Trump had also warned Hamas at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on the 21st, stating, "If you don't (disarm), you will be destroyed very quickly."

Israelis welcoming the return of Ran Gvily's body, holding a picture of him [AFP Yonhap News]