United States President Donald Trump on Monday said the US allowed Hamas to rearm in Gaza for the time being till the situation between the two sides stabilises after the conflict.
He said the US knew everything, and the decision to rearm Hamas in Gaza was made after approval from the cabinet. He said, “Hamas would be instituting itself as a Palestinian police force,” adding that the group was attempting to restore order after months of war.”
“They’ve been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time,” he said. “You have to understand – they’ve lost probably 60,000 people. That’s a lot of retribution,” he added.
As per the official stats of the Gaza Health Ministry in Gaza, the Israeli invasion of the occupied territory has killed more than 67,000 people, including more than 20,000 children. Trump also reiterated that the US wanted to ensure returning residents could rebuild safely. He said Gaza is “literally demolished”, adding, “A lot of bad things can happen” as people return.
Also Read: 'War is over' in Gaza as hostages' return nears: Trump
This gives a clear indication that Trump does not trust the warring parties in the conflict, be it the Israeli side or Hamas. It is because of this that he has announced the deployment of more than 200 US troops to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the timeline for Hamas’s decommissioning of weapons has become one of the main sticking points within the ceasefire deal, with negotiators divided over how and when disarmament should take place. Meanwhile, Trump has arrived in Israel to address and celebrate the release of the hostages held in Hamas captivity for more than two years.
Also Read: Hamas releases first batch of 7 Israeli hostages
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