US looks into Israeli violations of Gaza ceasefire
TOPSHOT - Children look on as people walk amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an overnight Israeli strike in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025. Israel's deadly strikes on Gaza drew global condemnation on March 18, as it said it had "no alternative" other than to resume military operations in order to bring home hostages. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP) (Photo by BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump claimed his administration was “looking into” whether Israel had breached the Gaza ceasefire by killing Hamas senior commander Raed Saad, Arab Weekly plus agencies reported on December 16th.
Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas’ chief negotiator, stated the targeted assassination of Raed Saad by Israel threatens the “viability of the truce”, as it marked the highest profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since the US-backed Gaza ceasefire deal came into effect in October.
Hayya added: “The continued Israeli violations to the ceasefire agreement … and latest assassinations that targeted Saed and others threaten the viability of the agreement.” He also called on the US administration and President Trump “to work on obliging Israel to respect the ceasefire and commit to it.”
Reportedly, the White House sent a private message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that the killing of Saad could be considered a violation of the Gaza ceasefire.
“The White House message to Netanyahu was: ‘If you want to ruin your reputation and show that you don’t abide by agreements be our guest, but we won’t allow you to ruin President Trump’s reputation after he brokered the deal in Gaza,” a senior US official said to Axios.
In response the Israeli government has claimed that it was Hamas that had breached the agreement by attacking soldiers and continuing the smuggling of weapons, according to an Israeli official.
The US administration has reportedly been increasingly concerned about Israeli attacks in Syria, as well as settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, claiming that Israeli policies threaten the White House’s efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, particularly with Saudi Arabia.
“The US doesn’t ask Netanyahu to compromise Israel’s security. We ask him not to take steps that are perceived in the Arab world as provocations,” a US official stated. Netanyahu is due to meet Trump in Florida on December 29th.
Arab Weekly plus agencies, Axios, Maghrebi.org
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