We know exactly where they're going, what they're doing.
Trump signaled willingness to conduct additional strikes on Iran similar to June's operation if Tehran rebuilds ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons capabilities. Hamas faces ultimatum to disarm before Gaza ceasefire advances to phase two, which requires international peacekeeping forces and Palestinian governance transition.
- U.S. conducted major strike on Iran in June; Trump signaled willingness to repeat if weapons programs resume
- Gaza ceasefire began October 2024 after two years of fighting; over 400 Palestinians killed since, mostly civilians
- Netanyahu demands return of hostage remains before advancing to ceasefire phase two; Israel blocking Rafah crossing until condition met
- Hamas has refused to disarm; Israeli troops remain in roughly half of Gaza territory
Trump warned of potential new military strikes on Iran if it resumes weapons programs and threatened Hamas with severe consequences for refusing to disarm during talks with Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago.
Donald Trump sat down with Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Monday with a simple message: the United States is prepared to strike Iran again if Tehran resumes building ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons, and Hamas faces dire consequences if it refuses to disarm.
The president spoke with the confidence of someone who had already ordered such an operation. In June, the U.S. had launched a major strike on Iranian military sites—a 37-hour round trip for B-2 bombers that Trump seemed reluctant to repeat. Yet his tone suggested willingness. "I've been reading that they're building up weapons," Trump told reporters after the meeting. "If they are, they're not using the sites we obliterated, but possibly different sites. We know exactly where they're going, what they're doing." The warning was calibrated: he expressed hope Iran would not force another costly intervention, but made clear the option remained on the table. Iran had conducted missile exercises twice in recent weeks, and Netanyahu had promised to raise the matter with Trump—a conversation that clearly reinforced the president's concerns.
But the more immediate pressure fell on Hamas. Trump has spent months brokering a ceasefire in Gaza that began in October after two years of fighting. The agreement was supposed to unfold in phases: first, a partial Israeli withdrawal, increased humanitarian aid, and exchanges of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The second phase would require something far more difficult—international peacekeeping forces deployed in Gaza, Palestinian governance restructured, and Hamas disarmed. Israel and Hamas have spent weeks accusing each other of major breaches. Hamas has refused to give up its weapons. Israeli troops remain entrenched in roughly half of Gaza's territory. When asked what would happen if Hamas did not comply, Trump was blunt: "There will be hell to pay."
The arithmetic of the ceasefire had become brutally clear. Netanyahu's team demanded that Hamas return the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage still in Gaza, before any progression to the next phase. Gvili's family had traveled with Netanyahu to Florida. Israel had also refused to open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt—a condition of Trump's plan—until the remains were returned. The hostage issue had become a hard stop, a way to prevent forward movement until Hamas capitulated on a symbolic but emotionally charged demand.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire that officially began in October had not actually stopped the fighting. Israeli strikes had killed more than 400 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials. Palestinian militants had killed three Israeli soldiers. The violence had diminished but not ended, leaving the agreement in a state of fragile suspension—technically in effect but constantly threatened by accusations of violation from both sides.
Trump's comments revealed where his sympathies lay. He praised Netanyahu warmly, even claiming that Israeli President Isaac Herzog had told him he planned to pardon Netanyahu of corruption charges—a statement Herzog's office immediately denied. Netanyahu reciprocated by announcing he would gift Trump the Israel Prize, historically reserved for Israelis. The warmth was unmistakable, and it signaled that Trump remained firmly aligned with the Israeli government even as some of his own advisers had privately questioned Netanyahu's commitment to the ceasefire.
The president also raised the possibility of Turkish peacekeepers in Gaza, a fraught proposal given the complicated history between Israel and Turkey. He discussed Syria with Netanyahu, expressing confidence that Israel would develop a peaceful relationship with Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new Syrian leader who took power after Bashar al-Assad's fall. Yet Israel had already bombed Syrian government buildings in July, suspicious of al-Sharaa's past ties to al-Qaeda. Trump's optimism seemed to gloss over these tensions.
What emerged from the Mar-a-Lago meeting was a portrait of a president willing to use military force to enforce his vision of Middle East stability, but one whose vision depended entirely on the compliance of actors—Iran, Hamas, Syria—who had little incentive to cooperate. The ceasefire in Gaza remained suspended between phases, held hostage to demands that seemed designed to be unmet. And the threat of new strikes on Iran hung in the air, a promise Trump seemed prepared to keep if Tehran moved in directions he deemed unacceptable.
Citações Notáveis
There will be hell to pay if Hamas does not disarm— Donald Trump
Israel had lived up to its side of the deal and Hamas was inviting grave consequences by not disarming more promptly— Trump's characterization of the ceasefire dispute
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Trump keep threatening Iran when he's also said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with them?
Because the threat is the negotiation. He's signaling that the military option is real and ready, which he believes gives him leverage in talks. But it also means he's willing to use force if those talks fail or if Iran does what he suspects it's already doing—rebuilding in secret.
And Hamas? Why is he putting the burden on them to disarm when Israel hasn't withdrawn from Gaza yet?
Because he sees Israel as the stronger party that has already made concessions, and Hamas as the obstacle. Whether that's accurate depends on how you measure compliance, but Trump is clearly betting that pressure on Hamas will move the ceasefire forward faster than pressure on Netanyahu would.
The hostage remains—that feels like it could derail everything.
It already has, in a way. Netanyahu has made it a condition for moving to phase two, which means the ceasefire is stuck until Hamas produces them. It's a way of saying the ceasefire won't progress without a Hamas capitulation that seems unlikely.
What about the 400 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire started?
They're part of the cost Trump seems willing to accept. The violence hasn't stopped because the ceasefire was never really a ceasefire—it was a pause that both sides have accused the other of breaking. The dead are the evidence that the pause is fragile.
Does Trump actually believe he can get all three parties—Iran, Hamas, and Israel—to do what he wants?
He's acting as if he does. But his confidence might be based on the fact that he's willing to use force, and the others know it. That's different from actually believing they'll cooperate.