Trump comments on Israel's attack on Gaza despite ceasefire: He lashes out at Hamas

After completing his visit to Japan and traveling to South Korea, US President Donald Trump answered questions from journalists on the plane. Speaking after being reminded of the attacks carried out by Israel despite the ceasefire in Gaza, Trump said, "An Israeli soldier was killed, so they had to respond."

When asked, "Does this situation jeopardize the ceasefire?" Trump replied, "No, nothing will jeopardize (the ceasefire). Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East. If they behave, they will be happy. If they don't behave, they will be destroyed."

"THEY SAY IT WAS SNIPER FIRE"

Stating that there is no clear information about the situation of the killed Israeli soldier, Trump said, "But they say it was sniper fire and it was a retaliation."

Responding to the question, "Could there be elements within Hamas trying to undermine peace?" Trump said, "We have spoken with the people who lead Hamas. In my opinion, based on the experts who deal with them, they are unhappy when they see people being killed. But some people are being killed, we don't want to see that."

"IF HAMAS DOES NOT BEHAVE, THEY WILL BE REMOVED"

Stating that the second phase of the peace process in Gaza, which envisions Hamas laying down its arms, has been reached, Trump said, "Hamas is a very small part of the overall peace in the Middle East. There is peace in the Middle East. If we have to remove Hamas, we can do it very easily. And that would be the end of Hamas."

Trump also expressed his hope that Hamas would comply with the agreement, saying, "We made a deal with them that they would behave, and they have to behave. If they don't behave, they will be removed."

Stating that many countries are ready to provide support in this case, the US President said, "It could be from Israel, or it could be from other countries. Many countries that are party to the agreement called me and said, 'If you want us to, we would be happy to do it.' And these are powerful countries. These are not countries to be trifled with."

NORTH KOREA STATEMENT: "JUST ANOTHER MISSILE"

Trump also evaluated the latest missile test conducted by North Korea. Saying, "They've been firing missiles for years, right? It's just another missile," Trump recalled that he had previously met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and that they "got along very well."

"So, we will meet at some point. The schedule is very busy, but I am looking forward to it. We had a very good relationship. We really understood each other very well," he said.

"WE MAY MEET AGAIN SOON"

Responding to the question, "Does your statement mean there will be no meeting with Kim Jong-Un during this trip?" Trump said, "I don't know. People are trying, I think they want to, and I would like to, but I also want to focus on China. So our focus now is tomorrow's China meeting. But we will come back and we will meet with North Korea in the not-too-distant future."