Ceasefire in Danger? US Warns Hamas May Be Planning Attack in Gaza

The United States has said it has received “credible reports” suggesting that Hamas may violate the current ceasefire in Gaza with an attack targeting Palestinian civilians. In a statement on Saturday, the US State Department warned that any such assault “would constitute a direct and grave violation” of the agreement brokered by President Donald Trump to end the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas. No additional details were provided about the alleged threat. “Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,” the department said.The department further added: “The United States and the other guarantors remain resolute in our commitment to ensuring the safety of civilians, maintaining calm on the ground, and advancing peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza and the region as a whole.”Also Read: Israel-Hamas Ceasefire – What Comes Next After Egypt Summit President Trump earlier cautioned on social media that “if Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.” He later clarified, however, that he did not intend to deploy US forces. “It’s not going to be us,” Trump told reporters. “We won’t have to. There are people very close, very nearby that will go in and they’ll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices.”This comes at a time when Israel said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed “until further notice”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, too, reiterated that the war in Gaza would end only after Hamas disarms, according to news agency AFP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB_1MIUIZQENetanyahu said that the completion of the second phase of the ceasefire was essential to ending the fighting in Gaza. “Phase B also involves the disarming of Hamas – or more precisely, the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip, following the stripping of Hamas of its weapons,” the Israeli PM said. He added that when that is “successfully completed”, the war would end “hopefully in an easy way, but if not, in a hard way.”To date, Hamas has handed over 10 hostages’ bodies, with the Palestinian group saying it would return two more bodies Saturday night, news agency AP reported.