After Hamas breached the U.S.-brokered truce, killing an IDF soldier, President Trump backs Israel’s “right to hit back” while insisting the Gaza ceasefire remains intact.
President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Wednesday that “nothing will jeopardize the ceasefire in Gaza,” as Israel forced launched retaliatory strikes following what it said was a Hamas attack on Israeli troops.
Speaking aboard Air Force One in route to South Korea for the APEC Summit, Trump said Israel acted within its rights after the killing of an Israeli soldier.
“They killed an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back — and they should hit back,” Trump told reporters. “But nothing’s going to jeopardize the peace. Nothing.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “powerful strikes” across Gaza late Tuesday after Defense Minister Israel Katz accused Hamas of breaching the truce by targeting IDF soldiers. The Shin Bet confirmed the attack took place near Rafah, though Hamas denied responsibility, claiming the shooting was carried out by “other factions.”
Despite the escalation, Vice President JD Vance assured reporters that the U.S.-brokered ceasefire was still holding.
“There were skirmishes, yes,” Vance said, “but the president’s peace is going to hold.”
Ceasefire Strained by Hamas’ Deception
The renewed tension follows a series of violations by Hamas, including a disturbing incident in which the terror group staged the return of fake hostage remains to the Red Cross.
According to Netanyahu’s office, forensic analysis revealed that Hamas had handed over partial remains of a hostage already returned to Israel two years ago — an act Israeli officials labeled “a deliberate provocation.”
Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian detailed the deception:
“Hamas dug a hole, placed old remains inside, covered it, and handed it over to the Red Cross — a grotesque performance meant to manipulate international opinion.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemned Hamas’s actions, demanding a “decisive response” and accusing the group of knowingly withholding the locations of deceased hostages.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem denied the accusation, claiming Israel’s bombardment had “obliterated” many burial sites. Still, Hamas admitted that the recovery of the final bodies had been “delayed,” using the strikes as justification.
A Fragile Peace
Under the Trump-brokered ceasefire, Hamas agreed to release all 20 surviving hostages and the remains of 28 deceased captives. Israel has accused the group of violating multiple clauses, including delays, misinformation, and renewed militant activity.
“This is not peacekeeping,” an Israeli defense source said. “It’s psychological warfare with corpses. And Israel will not tolerate it.”
The two-year war that began with Hamas’s barbaric October 7, 2023 massacre, which killed 1,221 Israelis, remains one of the deadliest in the region’s history. The U.S.-backed ceasefire — achieved through President Trump’s 20-point peace framework — brought an uneasy calm after months of bloodshed.
While Hamas claims over 68,000 Gazans have died in Israeli operations, Israel maintains those figures are inflated, noting that thousands of those casualties were Hamas operatives or victims of failed rocket launches.
On the ground, Gaza residents remain anxious. “They accuse Hamas of stalling, and that’s a pretext for renewed war,” one man told AFP. “We just want to rest.”
But Israeli officials insist the message is clear: as long as Hamas breaks faith with the ceasefire, Israel will respond — and the U.S. stands firmly behind its ally.
“The ceasefire exists to protect peace, not to shield terrorists,” said Defense Minister Katz. “If Hamas believes it can play games with Israel, it is gravely mistaken.”
