Israel on Sunday launched a series of deadly air strikes in Gaza and temporarily halted humanitarian aid into the strip, alleging that Hamas had fired on Israeli soldiers in violation of a ceasefire that went into effect earlier this month.
But a senior White House official, speaking to The American Conservative, denied that Hamas had attacked Israeli soldiers. “Hamas did nothing,” the official said. “Israeli tank hit an unexploded IED [improvised explosive device] that has probably been there for months.”
Amid the dramatic breakdown in a ceasefire that was already fragile, U.S. officials are heading to Israel to push for full implementation of the Gaza peace deal. Special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived Monday and Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to arrive Tuesday.
Hamas’s leadership said the group had been abiding by the ceasefire. “We confirm our full commitment to carrying out everything that was agreed, first and foremost the ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza strip,” said the group’s military wing in a statement.
Last week, in the first phase of the deal, Hamas returned all 20 living Israeli hostages, while Israel released around 2,000 Palestinian detainees and withdrew from parts of the strip. The next phase will involve the demilitarization of Hamas and the establishment of an International Stabilization Force.
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