President Trump appears to have drawn a big, beautiful line in the sand for Hamas. On Friday, he took to his Truth Social account to call Hamas out, demanding their surrender and the unconditional release of all hostages, alive or dead. And he seems willing to show Hamas the "or else."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 3, 2025
The president writes (paragraph breaks added for clarity):
Hamas has been a ruthless and violent threat, for many years, in the Middle East! They have killed (and made lives unbearably miserable), culminating with the October 7th MASSACRE, in Israel, babies, woman, children, old people, and many young men and women, boys and girls, getting ready to celebrate their future lives together. As retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas “soldiers” have already been killed. Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, “GO,” for their lives to be quickly extinguished.
As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed. I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza. Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help. Fortunately for Hamas, however, they will be given one last chance! Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East.
THIS DEAL ALSO SPARES THE LIVES OF ALL REMAINING HAMAS FIGHTERS! The details of the document are known to the WORLD, and it is a great one for ALL! We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop. RELEASES THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW! An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
That sounds a lot like "surrender, or else." President Trump is pretty clear; there will be no more talk, there will only be a surrender, with the alternative being every last Hamas fighter having their birth certificates permanently revoked.
The question is what form the "or else" will take.
Read More: Hamas Unlikely to Comply Fully With Trump's Peace Deal
'Day After Hamas': Netanyahu Lays Out Israel's Plan for Gaza Once Terror Group Is Removed
CNN reports that the terms of the agreement were worked out with Israel's approval.
Trump has been waiting since Monday to hear Hamas’ response to the 20-point plan he unveiled alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. He said a day after the announcement he would give Hamas three or four days to respond.
Netanyahu said during their joint appearance that Israel agreed to the framework, which spells out an end to the war, the release of hostages and a redevelopment plan for the devastated enclave. Trump deemed the announcement “potentially one of the great days ever in civilization.”
So far, Hamas hasn’t provided a definitive answer. The group has been in discussions with regional mediators from Qatar and Egypt to discuss the plan. Trump spoke midweek with Qatar’s emir for an update on the conversations.
Here's the question: Does the "or else" include American forces? Israel has been slowly and methodically reducing Hamas in Gaza, block by block. Will American air power join the effort? That would require a fair amount of coordination, including the American strike craft taking targeting directions from Israeli forces.
Or will the deal just let the Israel Defense Forces off the leash, for once and for all, with instructions reading simply "End this now"?
This is reminiscent of a time when a Roman consul and general, Gaius Popillius Laenas, was sent by the Roman Senate to forestall a war between the Ptolemy dynasty in Egypt and the Seleucid Empire (more or less what is now Syria). Consul Laenas, confronting the Seleucid king, Antiochus, read Rome's peace demands, then used his cane to draw a circle in the sand around Antiochus, and demanded to have the king's answer before he stepped out of the circle. Antiochus caved, admitting that he would do as the Roman Senate wished.
This message from President Trump looks a lot like that circle in the sand. Will Hamas cave, as Antiochus did?
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member