President Donald Trump said Monday he could ask Israel to return to areas of Gaza vacated under the recent ceasefire and �eradicate Hamas� if necessary but is holding off to give the fragile truce a chance to hold.

�We made a deal with Hamas that they�re going to be very good, they�re going to behave, they�re going to be nice, and if not, we�re going to eradicate them if we have to,� Trump told reporters at the White House.

He reiterated that he does not believe Hamas�s leadership authorized Sunday�s deadly attack on Israeli troops in Gaza. �I don�t believe it was the leadership, but they have some rebellion in there among themselves,� Trump said, referencing internal executions by Hamas against rival factions.

Calling Hamas �a violent group,� Trump warned, �If they keep doing it, then we�re going to straighten it out, and it�ll happen very quickly and pretty violently.�

Trump added that several countries had privately offered to intervene in Gaza, claiming, �Israel would go in in two minutes if I asked them. But right now, we haven�t said that. We�re going to give it a little chance.�

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)