President Trump has said that a group of Hamas “rebels” will be treated “toughly” by the group’s leadership after breaking the Gaza ceasefire over the weekend.
Terrorists fired on Israeli troops within the yellow line – the zone still controlled by the IDF after the first stage of its withdrawal – on Sunday, killing two soldiers and prompting retaliatory airstrikes in the area.
However, Trump suggested during an Air Force One press briefing that Hamas’ leadership was not involved in the violation, saying it was carried out by “some rebels within”.
It has previously been reported that the group is divided over the ceasefire, with the military wing in Gaza less receptive to the deal than the political leadership based in Qatar.
"Either way, it’s going to be handled properly. It’s going to be handled toughly, but properly,” added Trump.
"As you know, they’ve been quite rambunctious. They’ve been doing some shooting, and we think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that.”
Vice President Vance similarly downplayed the impact of the attacks and subsequent airstrikes on the ceasefire, saying: “We think that it has the best chance for a sustainable peace.
"But even if it does that, it's going to have hills and valleys, and we're going to have to monitor the situation.”
Israel, meanwhile, confirmed its "renewed enforcement of the ceasefire" on Monday, saying it would "continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and... respond forcefully to any violation".
Offering some further context, a security official reportedly told Channel 12: "Israel does not want to bring about the collapse of the ceasefire… There is simply a straightforward equation of a violation and a response — and this will continue as long as Hamas keeps violating the agreement."
For its part, Hamas denied attacking soldiers, accusing Jerusalem of "violating the deal and fabricating pretexts to justify its crimes".
A spokesperson insisted that the group "remains committed to the ceasefire agreement".
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