The Media Line: US Warns Truce Guarantors of Imminent Hamas Attack, Vows Measures To Protect Gazans 

US Warns Truce Guarantors of Imminent Hamas Attack, Vows Measures To Protect Gazans 

By The Media Line Staff 

The United States and other guarantors of the Gaza truce warned on Saturday of credible reports that Hamas was planning an attack on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, prompting a pledge of protective measures and fresh diplomatic pressure to preserve the ceasefire brokered last month with regional partners. The State Department said it had informed Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt of the intelligence and urged the armed group to honor its obligations; Gazan media separately reported an Israeli Navy vessel fired at Khan Yunis beach as tensions rose. 

The US statement said in part: “This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement,” and warned that “measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire.” The message followed complaints that Hamas has delayed returning remains of hostages, even as it handed over two more bodies this weekend under the terms of the first phase of the deal. 

President Donald Trump, who helped marshal the international push for the truce, criticized the killings inside Gaza and warned of forceful responses, saying, “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.” A senior US commander in the region urged Hamas to “stop attacks on ‘innocent Palestinian civilians’ and begin ‘disarming without delay’.” 

On the ground, Israeli forces said they struck fighters who fired on troops near Rafah, the first acknowledged Israeli targeting of Hamas since the ceasefire took effect. Mediators are pressing for the formation of civilian support bodies and safeguards for Gazans fleeing intra-Palestinian violence; Israeli officials say some measures are also needed to prevent diversion of aid or rearmament. The guarantors reiterated their commitment to civilian safety and to keeping the fragile truce intact while negotiations continue.