Hamas Faces ‘Complete Obliteration’ If It Won’t Give Up Gaza, Trump Says

Hamas will face “complete obliteration” if the terror group refuses to step out of power in the Gaza Strip as part of peace negotiations with Israel, according to President Donald Trump.

The president weighed in on the potential ramifications if Hamas declines to accept a U.S.-backed peace proposal in a text exchange  with CNN host Jake Tapper. The terror group has signaled initial willingness to move forward on the deal, but has not yet begun to release its remaining hostages, a critical first step in the peace process.

The president said that Hamas would be obliterated if it rejected the peace proposal. Tapper followed up, asking about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s belief that the terror group had effectively rejected the peace proposal by insisting on “no disarmament, keeping Gaza under Palestinian control and tying hostage release to negotiations.”

“We will find out. Only time will tell!!!” the president said when asked if Graham was wrong.

Trump said on Sunday that he expects the Hamas to begin releasing hostages to Israel “very soon.” Asked about the status on a U.S.-backed peace plan on Sunday, Trump said his proposal to end the war between Israel and Hamas is a “great deal.”

“It’s a great deal for Israel. It’s a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world, and world, so we’re very happy about it,” the president said, before adding that he believes Hamas will release hostages “very soon.”

“They’re in negotiation right now as we speak,” he said. “It will last a couple of days. We’ll see how it turns out, but I’m hearing it’s going very well.”

.@POTUS on his plan for peace in Gaza: “It’s a great deal for Israel and it’s a great deal for everybody… It’s a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world, and world.” pic.twitter.com/tDiPb06qQf

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 5, 2025

The terror group still holds 48 hostages. Only 28 of those are believed to still be alive.

Last week, the White House rolled out a 20-point peace plan that provides a pathway to a Palestinian state. Trump announced the plan in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plan has the backing of major Arab nations, as well, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar.

The first phase of the plan still has to be met, however. For the plan to move forward, Hamas must release its remaining hostages. In exchange, Israel’s military will pull back to the “yellow line,” roughly where the battle lines were drawn in August 2024. Israel is also prepared to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including “250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans” detained after the October 7, 2023, terror attack.

Hamas has signaled initial willingness to move forward with the plan, though the terror group’s shoddy history honoring agreements appears to have given officials pause. Netanyahu reportedly told Trump that there is nothing to celebrate about the terror group’s stated willingness to negotiate.

On Sunday morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on ABC News that “This is the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released.”

“If it’s clear that the hostages aren’t going to be released and they’re playing games,” Rubio added, “then I think the president stated what our position is going to be.”

Trump reiterated that threat in a post on Truth Social on Sunday afternoon.

“There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump wrote.

“I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST. I will continue to monitor this Centuries old ‘conflict.’ TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!” he added.