ANI Washington

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed the ongoing situation in Gaza, focusing on Hamas' search for the remaining deceased hostages and the broader implications of the US-brokered peace agreement. "It's a gruesome process... They're digging and they're finding a lot of bodies. Then they have to separate the bodies," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, describing the grim task faced by the group.

He elaborated on the conditions in which some bodies were found. "Some of those bodies have been in there a long time, and some of them are under rubble. They have to remove rubble," he said. "Some are in tunnels... that are way down under the earth." Turning to the issue of weapons, Trump stressed, "We want the weapons to be given... They've agreed to do it. Now they have to do it. If they don't do it, we'll do it." 

Building on his earlier comments, Trump reinforced that Hamas must comply with the terms of the peace agreement and surrender its weapons, warning that the US would take decisive action if the group failed to do so. 

"They're going to disarm, because they said they were going to disarm," he said. "And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them." He added, "They know I'm not playing games." Trump made the remarks during a bilateral lunch with Argentinian President Javier Milei at the White House, shortly after the US announced a USD 20 billion financial support package to stabilise Argentina's economy.

His statements followed his praise of the Gaza ceasefire, which he had described as "the historic dawn of a new Middle East," asserting that the forces of "chaos, terror, and ruin" had been defeated and the "long and painful nightmare" had ended not only for Israelis but also for Palestinians.