The fragile peace deal between Israel and Hamas was put on immediate alert late Saturday after the US State Department announced it possessed “credible reports” indicating the Palestinian armed group was planning an imminent attack against civilians within Gaza.
Washington warned that any such action would constitute a “direct and grave violation” of the ceasefire agreement and vowed to take unspecified “measures… to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire.”
Attack on Palestinians Called Ceasefire Breach
The State Department’s statement did not elaborate on the nature of the planned assault but emphasized that an attack targeting Palestinian civilians would severely jeopardize the progress achieved through mediation efforts.
“The United States has informed the guarantor nations of the Gaza peace agreement of credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza,” the statement read. “This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts.”
The US has notified the other guarantors of the deal—Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey—of the potential breach.
Trump’s Warning and Internal Crackdown
The warning follows remarks made by President Donald Trump earlier this week, who had threatened Hamas over its actions against civilians. In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump stated: “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,” though he later clarified that the US would not deploy its own troops.
The State Department’s concern over Hamas’s internal activities comes amidst the group’s attempts to consolidate control in the ruined territory following the Israeli military withdrawal. Earlier this week, Hamas was reported to have executed alleged collaborators and rivals in a violent crackdown.
Hamas had published a shocking video on its official channel reportedly from Monday, showing the street execution of eight blindfolded and kneeling suspects, whom the group branded as “collaborators and outlaws.”
The current peace deal, brokered last week, saw Israel end its military offensive in Gaza in exchange for the phased release of all remaining hostages held by the Palestinian group since its October 7, 2023 attack. The implementation of the first phase—the release of living hostages and the return of the remains of the dead—remains a fraught and delicate process.