The US State Department issued a rare weekend statement Saturday, saying it had informed fellow mediating countries Qatar, Turkey and Egypt of a “credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.”
“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 State Department said.
It didn’t elaborate on the nature of the Hamas attack, but it came after over a week of reported executions carried out by Hamas fighters against dozens of members of rival clans along with other Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel.
“The guarantors demand Hamas uphold its obligations under the ceasefire terms,” the State Department statement read.
It was unclear how Hamas attacks on fellow Palestinians would violate the ceasefire, given that the agreement is widely understood to be aimed at preventing attacks between Israel and Hamas. The portions of the agreement that have been leaked to the press do not explicitly touch on a potential Hamas crackdown on Gazan civilians.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Nonetheless, the State Department statement warned that, “should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire.”
On Wednesday, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump told reporters that the US and Israel were working to set up safe zones inside IDF-controlled areas of the Gaza Strip to which Palestinians seeking to flee Hamas retribution could flee. Israel has yet to publicly confirm the initiative.
“The United States and the other guarantors remain resolute in our commitment to ensuring the safety of civilians, maintaining calm on the ground, and advancing peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza and the region as a whole,” the State Department statement added.
The statement represented the latest hardening of the US position regarding the Hamas crackdown throughout Gaza, which began once the ceasefire went into place earlier this month.
Trump claimed on Tuesday that he had given Hamas “approval for a period of time” to carry out the killings, asserting that the terror organization was targeting some “very bad gangs.”
This image grab from a handout video released by the Hamas-run al-Aqsa TV’s Telegram channel on October 13, 2025, shows Hamas gunmen executing blindfolded, bound and kneeling men as a crowd surrounds them in a street in Gaza City. (Photo by Al-Aqsa TV / AFP)
By Wednesday, though, the commander of US forces in the Middle East called on Hamas to immediately stop attacks on “innocent Palestinian civilians” and begin “disarming without delay”
Hours later, Trump told CNN he was doing “more research on it… It could be gangs plus.”
On Thursday, he wrote: “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.”
While Trump spoke in “we” terms when talking about who would carry out his threat against Hamas, he has in the past clarified that he is referring to Israel regarding such retribution and that US troops will not be needed in Gaza, which the US president reiterated later Thursday.
“Somebody will go in” to Gaza, he said in response to a reporter’s question, but “it’s not going to be us.”
“We won’t have to enter” the Strip, Trump continued. “There are people very nearby that will go in, they’ll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices.”
Is The Times of Israel important to you?
If so, we have a request.
Every day, even during war, our journalists keep you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fast, fair and free coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
We care about Israel – and we know you do too. So today, we have an ask: show your appreciation for our work by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.
Yes, I’ll give
Yes, I’ll give
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
