The commander of US forces in the Middle East called on Hamas to immediately halt its violence against Palestinian civilians whom the terror group has accused of collaborating with Israel, urging it instead to fulfill the terms of the recently adopted ceasefire plan by laying down its weapons.

The statement on Wednesday by Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the US Central Command, came just hours after US President Donald Trump said he had no problem with the crackdown, even referring to those targeted as “very bad gangs.”

But Cooper’s statement follows other condemnations of the crackdown in which Hamas reportedly killed more than 30 people, including by forcing several of them to their knees and shooting them from behind in the street. The killings indicate that the terror group is tightening its grip on Gaza as Israel has withdrawn from portions of the territory, deploying troops behind a so-called “Yellow Line.”

“We strongly urge Hamas to immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza – in both Hamas-held parts of Gaza and those secured by the IDF behind the Yellow Line,” Cooper, whose division of the army is known as CENTCOM, said in his statement.

He added: “This is an historic opportunity for peace. Hamas should seize it by fully standing down, strictly adhering to President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, and disarming without delay.”

None of the dozens of executions that have been carried out over the past several days have taken place in areas of Gaza controlled by the IDF. But they have targeted both rival groups and those whom Hamas has accused of collaborating with Israel.

France on Wednesday also accused Hamas of carrying out “summary executions,” condemning the terror group’s activity during the ceasefire.

“France strongly condemns the summary executions carried out by Hamas in recent days in Gaza,” the French foreign ministry said. “The armed incidents that have occurred in recent days are particularly concerning.”

Hamas has emerged heavily battered from the two-year war with Israel that began with its October 7, 2023, onslaught. But Palestinians in Gaza said the group’s operatives have been returning to the street, in uniform, in the days since the ceasefire began last week. Residents have reported hearing gunfire and explosions.

The office of Mahmoud Abbas, president of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, condemned the summary executions, calling them “heinous crimes.”

The PA, which is seeking a role in governing post-war Gaza despite Israeli opposition, called for “the restoration of law,” saying that empowering “the legitimate institutions of the Palestinian people in Gaza is the only way to end the state of chaos and rebuild national trust.”

But Trump said he was relatively unbothered by the executions, comparing the victims to Venezuelan gangs that, he says, have been sent into the United States. He also said he had given the terror group a temporary green light to police the Strip before a post-war government is formed to replace it.

“That didn’t bother me much, to be honest with you,” he told reporters on Tuesday regarding the executions. “That’s OK. It’s a couple of very bad gangs. It’s no different than other countries like Venezuela [that have] sent their gangs into [the US].”

Referring to Hamas, he said, “They do want to stop the problems, and they’ve been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time.”

The ceasefire took effect on Friday, when IDF troops withdrew from parts of Gaza. Since then, Hamas has released all 20 remaining living hostages from Gaza, and has also returned the bodies of seven deceased captives. Future stages of the ceasefire deal call on Hamas to disarm, for an alternative Palestinian-led body to govern Gaza and for the IDF to withdraw from the territory.

In his statement, Cooper said the US was in touch with the agreement’s mediators to ensure that civilians in Gaza would be safe.

“We have conveyed our concerns to the mediators who agreed to work with us to enforce the peace and protect innocent Gaza civilians,” he said. “We remain highly optimistic for the future of peace in the region.”