Trump threatens to 'go in and kill' Hamas if Gaza killings continue

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to "go in and kill" Hamas if it keeps killing people in Gaza, in an apparent reference to recent shootings of Palestinian civilians following a ceasefire deal with Israel.

Trump's comments come just days after he said that the Hamas shootings - which include public executions - "didn't bother me much" and described them as killings of gang members.

"If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network.

Trump did not elaborate on what he meant by "we." But he said on Wednesday that "we won't need the US military" to be involved in Gaza.

Since the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza under the US-backed 20-point ceasefire deal, Hamas has been tightening its grip on ruined cities, launching a crackdown and executing alleged collaborators in the street.

The top US commander in the Middle East, Admiral Brad Cooper, had demanded on Wednesday that Hamas stop shooting Palestinian civilians and adhere to Trump' plan.

But Trump himself has, until now, been relaxed about the killings.

"That didn't bother me much, to be honest with you. That's OK. It's a couple of very bad gangs. It's very different than other countries," he said in a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday.

Trump added during his trip to Israel and Egypt on Monday to celebrate the Gaza truce that Hamas had been "open" about wanting to "stop the problems" in the devastated territory.

"They have been open about it. And we gave them an approval for a period of time,"he told reporters aboard Air Force One.