Baghdad: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the Middle East peace process is entering its second phase. Trump added aboard Air Force One while en route from Tokyo to South Korea: “We are entering the second phase.”

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the US president did not specify what he expects from this new phase of the peace deal. At the same time, Trump said that Israel must respond to potential attacks from Hamas, adding that this would not violate the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and “nothing will jeopardize the Gaza agreement.”

He added: “Hamas is a very small part of the peace in the Middle East. If we have to, we will eliminate Hamas very easily, and Hamas will cease to exist. We would prefer not to do that. We made a deal with them.”