On Monday, President Trump issued a warning to Hamas about any further attacks against Israeli forces, following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that had been suspended over the weekend in Gaza.
He described Hamas as a “very violent group” that had become “rowdy” and took actions that were unacceptable. Trump remarked, “If they continue down this path, we will intervene and make it right. It’s going to happen quickly and, unfortunately, fairly violently. We aim to eradicate Hamas.”
Israel communicated on Sunday that “terrorists” attacked an IDF post located in Rafah, a southern area of Gaza, and made it clear that it would hold Hamas accountable. Reports indicate that Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of over 20 people in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Hamas, along with its military division, the al-Qassam Brigades, denied any involvement in the attacks on Israeli forces and insisted that they were still honoring the ceasefire, according to CNN.
Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq stated that Israel was “violating the agreement and fabricating pretexts to justify crimes,” yet reaffirmed the group’s commitment to the ceasefire.
Israel also reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire established by Trump on October 8th.
The Israel Defense Forces announced that they would “continue to adhere to the ceasefire agreement and respond decisively to any violations,” according to a post on X from Sunday.
President Trump mentioned on Monday that the leaders of Hamas were not involved in the recent attack on Israeli forces, suggesting “there was an insurgency among them.”
However, he urged the group to prevent such actions from occurring again, stating, “It’s a breach of our agreement, and if we cannot resolve it ourselves, we will take immediate action.”
On the same day, Trump’s Middle East envoys arrived in Israel to enhance efforts to maintain the ceasefire in Gaza.
Peace envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who serves as a special assistant, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to go over “regional developments and updates,” according to a source within the prime minister’s office.
Additionally, Vice President Vance and his wife are set to visit the region and spend several days in Israel, as noted by officials.
The ceasefire resulted in a complete halt to fighting between Israel and Hamas, which provided a significant reprieve for over 2 million Palestinians and allowed for a boost in humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip.
Hamas recently transferred the final 20 live hostages to Israel, whom they had taken during the October 7, 2023, attack, though the process of retrieving and returning the bodies of deceased hostages is taking longer.
The Red Cross confirmed to the Israel Times that after recovering the bodies on Sunday, Hamas indicated on Monday it was ready to hand over the deceased hostages’ remains at 8 PM Israeli time.
