Former US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that he might authorise Israel to resume military operations in Gaza if, in his view, Hamas failed to comply with his proposed plan to end the ongoing genocidal war in the coastal enclave. “Israel will return to these streets as soon as I give the word,” he told CNN in a phone interview. He added that, “if it were possible,” Israel would inflict maximum damage on Gaza.

The remarks come as Israel has already caused the deaths of at least 67,938 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wrought near-total destruction across the Gaza Strip since October 2023. Earlier this month, Hamas and Israeli representatives reached an indirect agreement in Egypt, based on Trump’s proposal, under which Hamas committed to handing over all living and deceased Israeli prisoners.

The al-Qassam Brigades confirmed on Wednesday that all living prisoners were transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross, alongside the remains of deceased prisoners that could be recovered despite widespread devastation. They emphasised that repeated Israeli violations of the agreement have complicated efforts to retrieve the bodies safely.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials have leveraged the ongoing crisis to issue new threats of genocidal military action. Israel’s Minister of War, Israel Katz, recently declared on X that occupation forces would resume their military campaign in Gaza. The escalating rhetoric highlights the fragile nature of the ceasefire and the persistent dangers faced by civilians and resistance fighters amid the aftermath of sustained destruction.