(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are at Mar-a-Lago to discuss the next steps in Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.
Since the meeting wrapped, Trump has called the talks “very, very productive.”
The first phase of the ceasefire began in October, which has mostly held, although Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violations of the deal. Progress has also been slow, but Trump has signaled that he is looking to move to the next phase.
One aspect of the deal that remains unsettled is disarming Hamas, something the group has not yet agreed to. Following the talks, Trump warned Hamas that there would be “hell to pay” if they did not disarm in a reasonable amount of time
Since first speaking with reporters on Monday, Trump told them they’d already settled three of the difficulties he was bringing to the meeting. He added his relationship with Netanyahu “can’t get any better,” despite some officials saying the Israeli PM was slow-walking the second phase of the ceasefire.
The first phase hasn’t been completed yet because there are still the remains of one hostage in Gaza that have not yet been returned. The family of that hostage also appeared at Mar-a-Lago on Monday.
Trump started his remarks at the meeting with a warning to Hamas, saying they have to disarm. He also repeatedly complimented Netanyahu.
“He is a wartime president, he’s done a phenomenal job and has taken Israel through a very dangerous period,” Trump told reporters. “If you had the wrong prime minister right now, Israel would not exist. They were met with a force that very few countries could handle.”
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were also present during the talks, as they have been credited with getting the first ceasefire deal up and running.
Trump gives Hamas vague deadline to disarm or be ‘wiped out’
Trump said Monday that Hamas must disarm within a “very short period of time” as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, warning of deadly consequences if the group does not follow through.
“They’re going to be given a very short period of time to disarm. And we’ll see how that works out,” Trump told reporters during a press conference with Netanyahu.
“But if they don’t disarm as they agreed to do, they agreed to it, then there will be hell to pay for them. And we don’t want that. We’re not looking for that.”
Asked what the next steps would be if Hamas did not disarm, Trump said it would be “horrible for them.” He added that other countries have offered to target Hamas, though he did not specify which ones.
NewsNation partner The Hill contributed to this report.