▲ U.S. President Donald Trump presides over a cabinet meeting on the 31st (local time).
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on the 31st (local time) that Israel is very pleased with the agreement on the disarmament of the pro-Iranian Palestinian militant group Hamas.
This is interpreted as an implicit pressure on Israel to respond, given that Israel has not yet released an official stance.
When asked by reporters during a cabinet meeting presided over at Camp David, the presidential retreat near Washington, D.C., whether an Israeli troop withdrawal or Hamas disarmament should come first, President Trump said, "We have reached a consensus with Israel. Israel loves it very much."
In effect, he took Israel's welcoming stance toward the Hamas disarmament agreement—which he announced personally the previous day—for granted while urging their cooperation.
While praising the achievement of an agreement that everyone thought would be difficult, President Trump added, "Will we go through twists and turns now? It's a very complicated situation, and they are very complicated and difficult people to deal with."
This indicates his outlook that the process of implementing the agreement will not be smooth.
The "Peace Board," established under President Trump's leadership to settle peace in the Gaza Strip, announced the previous day that it had agreed on Hamas disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal.
President Trump announced this himself, praising it as a monumental breakthrough.
Hamas issued a statement on the same day, stating that the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip is a condition for its disarmament.
Israel has not yet issued an official statement, but it is believed to maintain the position that Hamas disarmament must come first.
In particular, with a general election ahead in late October, observations suggest that it is unlikely Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make the decision to withdraw from Gaza, forecasting a bumpy road ahead for the implementation of the agreement.
During the cabinet meeting, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attended and took turns praising President Trump's governance achievements.
This cabinet meeting was the 13th under the second Trump administration, held two months after the one in late May.
Cabinet meetings are usually held at the White House, but this was the first time a cabinet meeting was broadcast live from Camp David, according to the Associated Press.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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