Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) warned that there would be “hell to pay” for Hamas if they breach the ceasefire agreement with Israel, which began took effect on Sunday with an exchange of hostages and prisoners.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Johnson said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both leaders were “cautiously optimistic” about the three-stage plan agreed upon with Hamas.
“Everyone around the world needs to know, as President Trump has made clear, that we stand with Israel and there will be hell to pay for Hamas if they violate these terms,” he claimed.
The truce has already facilitated the release of three hostages, including one survivor of the harrowing Nova music festival attack during the October 7 terrorism incident.
Romi Gonen, 23, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 30, were handed over to Israeli Defense Forces by the Red Cross on Sunday after being held captive for 471 days.
Just hours after receiving the hostages, Israel responded by freeing 90 Palestinian prisoners. This exchange marked the initial phase of implementing the ceasefire, which had faced some hurdles.
Originally intended to begin at 1:30 a.m., the deal was delayed due to Hamas failing to submit a list of 33 hostages slated for initial release. Fighting continued through Sunday morning until the militant group finally provided the names and freed the three hostages.
There is an expectation that at least 30 more hostages will be released by Hamas, although no specific timeline has been disclosed regarding their liberation.
Johnson expressed hope for a peaceful resolution that ensures the release of all hostages. “It’s such a tragic situation and so unnecessary,” he said during his remarks.
Meanwhile, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) used the occasion to call for a full-scale effort to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program in light of the Gaza ceasefire.
Appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Graham told Margaret Brennan, “The next topic I will be engaging in with President Trump is to take this moment in time to decimate the Iran nuclear program.”
Pressed for clarification, he elaborated that he was going to “urge the decimation of the Iranian nuclear program.”
Skeptical about diplomacy achieving meaningful results, Graham voiced doubts, adding, “[President Biden’s Mideast negotiator Brett McGurk], will tell you what they have done to Hezbollah and Hamas has been amazing. The proxies [are] incredibly weakened. Israel can go anywhere they wanna go. This is a … religious Nazi regime.”
Graham reiterated his stance by declaring, “They want to destroy the Jewish state. They wanna purify Islam and drive us out of the Mideast. It’d be like negotiating with Hitler. I am hoping there will be an effort by Israel to decimate the Iran nuclear program supported by the United States, and if we don’t do that, it’ll be a historical mistake.”
Adding to the discourse, Mick Mulvaney, who served as the acting White House Chief of Staff during Trump’s initial administration, attributed the Israel-Hamas ceasefire to Trump’s influence.
During an appearance on NewNation’s “Morning in America” on Saturday, Mulvaney provided a balanced acknowledgment, saying, “Look, obviously, both administrations, the outgoing Biden administration, and the incoming [Trump administration], were involved in this. They had to be because of the transition period between the election.”
Still, Mulvaney pointed out President Trump’s pivotal role, firmly asserting, “The Trump team will take credit. There’s no question about that.”
“It’s hard to deny that the election of Donald Trump certainly didn’t have a dramatic impact in the dynamics of those discussions,” he added.
Watch Mulvaney’s interview here:
