Hamas Believes President Trump Can Bring Peace to Gaza Strip

Militant group Hamas. (Hassan Alzaanin/TASS)

JAKARTA - Hamas believes the President of the United States played a key role in helping to bring about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, said the spokesman for the Palestinian militant group, warning that the situation on the ground remained deadly despite the ceasefire having been imposed.

More than 420 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire came into effect, blaming Israel's military operations, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Al Arabiya as quoted (29/12).

Qassem continued, most of the victims were children, women and the elderly.

Quoted from WAFA, the number of Palestinian casualties since the latest conflict with Israel broke out in October 2023, has reached 71,266 people as of Monday, the majority of whom are women and children, with another 171,222 injured.

However, Qassem expressed confidence in President Trump's ability to achieve peace in Gaza and the wider region, saying the Uncle Sam's country is the only power capable of forcing Israel to fully implement the agreement.

He also urged the White House leader to continue to pressure Israel to comply with what was agreed upon in the framework of the Sharm El Sheikh peace, which he said could lead to a sincere and lasting peace in Gaza and its surroundings.

Under a US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on October 10, Hamas handed over the last 20 live hostages. The group has also returned the bodies of 27 of the 28 hostages who died.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration, which mediated the deal, encouraged the talks to continue to the second phase.

On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the transition will be "complex."

The two sides remain divided over the next steps. Israel demands that Hamas disarm and be barred from playing any administrative role in Gaza in the future, while Hamas rejects disarmament and insists that Israel withdraw completely from the territory.