Hamas did take out 'a couple of' gangs: Trump
"They did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad, very, very bad gangs. And they did take them out, and they killed a number of gang members, and that didn't bother me much, to be honest with you. That's okay," Trump told reporters at the White House, alongside Argentinian President Javier Milei. "It's a couple of very bad gangs."
- Americas
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 09:54 | 14 October 2025
- Modified Date: 09:59 | 14 October 2025
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, took out "a couple of" gangs, without identifying which groups.
"They did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad, very, very bad gangs. And they did take them out, and they killed a number of gang members, and that didn't bother me much, to be honest with you. That's okay," Trump told reporters at the White House, alongside Argentinian President Javier Milei. "It's a couple of very bad gangs."
His remarks came a day after Hamas and Israel carried out a hostage-prisoner swap that saw hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released from Israel's notorious Ofer military prison and other prison facilities in the Negev Desert. All 20 living Israeli hostages were also released.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump announced the start of "phase two" of his Gaza ceasefire agreement, following the release of hostages under the first stage of the deal brokered by Türkiye, the US, Qatar and Egypt.
Phase two of the deal calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, the formation of a multinational force and the disarmament of Hamas.
Trump said he spoke to Hamas and the group will disarm.
"They will disarm, and if they don't disarm, we will disarm them — and it'll happen quickly and, perhaps, violently, but they will disarm," he added.