Trump hints at 'action' if Hamas doesn't return hostage bodies

A U.S.-led coordination center based in Israel that will oversee implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza is expected to become operational in the coming days, two U.S. officials told ABC News.

The command center, which is tasked with coordinating security, aid and rebuilding efforts inside Gaza, is initially expected to be led by a U.S. three-star general, who has not been identified publicly. The commander is expected to have a foreign deputy, who would be the equivalent of a two-star officer, the officials said.

The center is located inside Israel, just northeast of Gaza, at a location not being disclosed to the public for security reasons. Officials said the center will not be located on an Israeli military base to ensure it can remain open to officials from other countries involved in the rebuilding of Gaza.

The center is seen as being key to executing the extraordinary logistics involved in trying to rebuild and secure Gaza after two years of war. The U.S. and other countries are still discussing what an international security force might look like and how it would operate inside the strip, as well as how food and other aid will be distributed.

Trump has already sent 200 U.S. troops to coordinate the heavy lift; those military units specialize in transportation, planning, logistics and security. They will be working alongside representatives from other partner nations, the private sector and non-governmental organizations.

Sources said the command center is starting off slow, reaching what the military calls "initial operational capability" in the coming days.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

As senior Israeli officials accuse Hamas of stalling the implementation of the peace agreement, senior U.S. advisers said that the fragile peace deal that ended the war in Gaza seems to be holding, noting that Hamas is making every effort to return the remaining hostage bodies.

"We've heard a lot of people saying, well, you know, Hamas violated the deal, because not all the bodies have been returned. I think the understanding we had with them was we get all the live hostage hostages out, which they did honor that, and right now, we have a mechanism in place where we're working closely with mediators and with them to do our best to get as many bodies out as possible," a senior U.S. adviser said during a background call with reporters Wednesday.

The advisers said they believe both sides want to keep to the deal.

"Obviously, this is a very delicate situation after two years of war, and a lot could still occur, but right now, the intention is to keep working with both parties, getting them both to show restraint and creating the right conditions for demilitarization of Gaza to occur so that it can start to be rebuilt for its citizens and it can be done in a positive way where it does not pose a threat to Israel or its citizens," a senior U.S. adviser said.

The advisers also laid out their main priorities going forward on implementing the peace deal ending the war in Gaza: "deconfliction, humanitarian aid, recovery of the remaining bodies," as well as restoring "whatever order is possible to create the conditions from redevelopment and rebuilding."

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

After vowing to disarm Hamas "quickly and perhaps violently," President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. military will not need to get involved.

"We won't need the U.S. military," Trump said. "We won't need it."

Trump on Tuesday told ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers, "If they don't disarm, we will disarm them." But when asked how, Trump avoided details and didn't provide any specifics. Disarmament of the militant group is a key factor in Trump's Gaza peace proposal but was not addressed in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Trump repeated on Wednesday, "We want the weapons to be given up, sacrificed and they've agreed to do it. Now they have to do it. And if they don't do it, we'll do it."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israel Defense Forces have been instructed to prepare a plan to resume fighting against Hamas if necessary.

Katz said in a statement Wednesday that he has instructed the IDF to "prepare a plan for the comprehensive defeat of Hamas in Gaza if it refuses to implement President Trump's plan and it becomes necessary to renew the fighting."

"If Hamas refuses to implement the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the U.S., will return to fighting and work to completely defeat Hamas, change the reality in Gaza, and achieve all the goals of the war," the statement continued.