The US State Department claimed on Saturday it had credible information indicating that Hamas is planning an imminent attack on civilians in Gaza, which would constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Such an attack would undermine “significant progress” achieved through diplomatic efforts and pose a grave breach to the terms of the ceasefire, the department stated in an official release.
If the attack proceeds, the US warned that measures would be taken to protect Gaza’s civilian population and uphold the ceasefire’s integrity.
Details of the measures were not disclosed, but earlier in the week, President Trump had warned of retaliation against Hamas following recent executions of civilians.
On Thursday, President Trump stated on the Truth Social platform, “If Hamas continues killing people in Gaza, which was not part of the agreement, we will have no choice but to go after them.” However, he did not specify how such actions would be carried out or who would lead them.
Last week, Hamas and Israel had agreed to a phased peace deal, whereby Israel would halt its military offensive in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages still held by Hamas after the 7 October 2023 attacks.
The first phase of the agreement, involving the return of living hostages and the remains of deceased captives, is currently underway.
The US has reportedly alerted the peace agreement’s guarantors — Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and itself — about what it terme
