US President Donald Trump has said that Washington is prepared to “disarm” Hamas by force if the group does not give up its weapons “within a reasonable period of time.”
“If Hamas does not disarm within a reasonable period of time, we will disarm them ourselves,” Trump said, without specifying what period he considered acceptable.
His statement came amid reports that Hamas has carried out new public executions and other displays of force in the Gaza Strip. They were recorded after a ceasefire brokered by Washington that came into effect last week.
A video, geo-tagged by BBC Verify, shows a public execution at a central intersection in Gaza. Before the video was released, Hamas had announced a plan to “eliminate lawlessness” in the enclave.
Other videos show armed men with Hamas internal security symbols patrolling the streets, as well as masked militants opening fire on unarmed men.
