On the eve of the meeting between Donald Trump e Benjamin Netanyahuthe military wing of Hamas reiterated that the Islamist group he will not give up his weapons. Just as the American president was preparing to receive the Israeli prime minister at Mar-a-Lago, the new spokesperson of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, he declared that armed resistance will continue “as long as the occupation continues”, even “with bare hands”. A few hours later, at the end of the conversation with Netanyahu, Trump launched a ultimatum directed at Hamas, warning that if the group “does not disarm” it will soon “pay a price”. “We will give Hamas a short time to disarm, otherwise it will pay,” said the American president, linking the start of the reconstruction of Gaza to the delivery of weapons by the Islamist movement.
Hamas’ announcement
“Our people are defending themselves and will not give up their weapons as long as the occupation continues, they will not surrender, even if they have to fight with their bare hands.” With these words Abu Obeida, new spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, reaffirmed the movement’s line in a video released on Telegram, precisely in the same hours as the meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in Florida.
The meeting in Florida
The American president received the Israeli prime minister at the Mar-a-Lago resort, just 24 hours after his meeting with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. This is the fifth meeting between Trump and Netanyahu since the tycoon returned to the White House, but the face-to-face comes at a particularly delicate phase for the Middle East, with several open dossiers, starting with Gaza. Trump issued an explicit warning to Hamas: if the group “does not disarm” it will soon “pay”. “We will give Hamas a short time to disarm, otherwise it will pay a price,” the American president declared after the talks with Netanyahu. The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, he added, could begin “very soon, as soon as possible”, but only on condition that Hamas lays down its weapons.
The president of the United States, who continues to present himself as the “president of peace”, appears increasingly impatient to start the so-called phase two in Gaza, after the fragile ceasefire which he helped finalize last October. A truce which, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, has been put to the test by the continuous Israeli operations in the enclave, costing over 400 deaths in just a few months.
The Israeli front
On the Israeli front, Netanyahu continues to appear reluctant to further withdraw from Gaza. The prime minister has set as a condition the return of the remains of the last hostage before proceeding to the next phases of the plan. The family of Ran Gvili accompanied Netanyahu to Mar-a-Lago and is expected to meet with Trump administration officials. Furthermore, Israel has not yet opened the Rafah crossing with Egypt, claiming that it will only do so after the return of the sergeant major’s body. “We will do everything we can to get back the remains of Ran Gvili, whose wonderful family is here,” Trump assured.
During the meeting, the American president praised Netanyahu, calling him “a war hero” and saying he is convinced that he will receive a presidential pardon in the corruption trial. Gaza, however, is only one of the “five topics” on the table of discussion, as Trump himself specified.
Iran, Syria and Lebanon
The divergences emerge more clearly in the other regional dossiers. Netanyahu reiterated that “Israel has never had a friend like Trump in the White House”, but aims for a more aggressive line towards Israel.Iran or, at least, an American green light to act against Tehran. Trump has threatened a new attack if Iran tries to rebuild its ballistic missile program or resume its nuclear program. “If that were the case, we will have to intervene to stop them. We will stop them. We will destroy them completely,” he declared, calling on Tehran to reach an agreement with Washington.
Another sensitive issue is the Syria. Netanyahu did not appreciate the American openness towards Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, while Trump expressed the hope that Israel will be able to get along with Damascus, calling the Syrian leader “a tough guy” who “is doing a great job”. Finally the Lebanonwhere the American president pushes for the diplomatic route, while Israel doubts that Beirut will be able to contain Hezbollah without a new military campaign.
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