Washington, 15 October (H.S.): US President Donald Trump issued a stern ultimatum to Hamas on Tuesday, declaring that the militant group would be disarmed perhaps violently if it refuses to lay down its weapons as part of a fragile new ceasefire agreement. His comments came just hours after he returned from a whirlwind tour of the Middle East to formalize the Gaza peace deal.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump asserted that the disarmament of Hamas is a non-negotiable component of his 20-point peace plan. If they don't disarm, we will disarm them, he stated, adding that he had conveyed the message to Hamas through my people and received an affirmative response, a claim the group has not publicly confirmed .

The president's warning introduces a new layer of tension to the peace process, which began with the release of the final 20 living hostages held by Hamas on Monday . However, a significant point of contention remains the return of the bodies of 24 deceased hostages still in Hamas's possession .

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump expressed his impatience on his Truth Social network, posting, THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase Two begins right NOW!!!.

Hamas returned the remains of four hostages on Monday, including Guy Iluz, Yossi Sharabi, Daniel Peretz, and Nepalese agricultural student Bipin Joshi. Another four bodies were handed over to Israel on Tuesday. The slow pace has drawn sharp criticism from Israeli officials, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatening to halt aid to Gaza if the remaining bodies are not returned promptly.

The ceasefire, which Trump hailed as a historic dawn of a new Middle East, was cemented on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he, alongside leaders from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, signed a declaration to act as guarantors of the deal. As part of the agreement, Israel also handed over the bodies of 45 Palestinians to authorities in Gaza.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar