President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Hamas on Tuesday, saying the group "will have hell to pay" if it uses hostages as human shields in Gaza.

“We’re going to see what happens, because I hear Hamas is trying to use the old human shield deal,” U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday as he prepared to head to the United Kingdom. “And if they do that, they’re going to be in big trouble.”

Trump, in a Monday post on his Truth Social platform, said that he had read a news report indicating that Hamas would use the captives as “human shields.”

Trump made the comments as Israeli forces launched a new ground offensive in Gaza City, with heavy strikes reported across the area.

The operation has left at least 34 Palestinians dead, according to local hospitals.