US pressured Israel to ‘show restraint’ after soldiers were killed by Hamas – report

The Trump administration reportedly pressed Israel to limit its response after Hamas terrorists violated ceasefire, murdered IDF soldiers in Gaza.

By World Israel News Staff

The Trump administration pressured Israel on Sunday not to withdraw from a fragile truce with the Hamas terror organization, a senior US official said, even after Hamas cells carried out attacks on Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday morning, three separate violations of the Gaza ceasefire were reported: sniper attacks on an IDF position in eastern Gaza, an infiltration attempt by Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza, and a deadly missile attack on an IDF armored personnel carrier in southern Gaza.

After the attacks, one of which left two soldiers dead and three wounded, the Trump administration rushed to save the Gaza truce from collapsing, pressing Israel to limit its reprisals.

According to a senior Trump administration official cited by Axios in a report published Sunday evening, the US anticipated clashes during the ceasefire and decided to intervene swiftly to prevent a major escalation.

“We knew this was brewing,” the official said. “And the longer these guys are allowed to attack each other, the more they’re going to attack each other.”

Both sides, the official added, remain committed to the ceasefire, with Israel and Hamas hesitant to escalate the conflict back into a “full-scale war.”

“Nobody wants to go back to full-scale war. The Israelis want to show Hamas there are consequences, without ruining the peace agreement,” he said.

However, another Trump administration official said the future of the ceasefire was far from certain and that its fate would likely be decided in the next month.

“The next 30 days are going to be critical,” the official said. “We are now in charge of what’s going on in Gaza when it comes to the implementation of the deal. We are going to be calling the shots.”

Hamas, the official added, believed that “it was going to be business as usual,” despite the ceasefire. “And the Israelis kind of did too.”

The terror group’s leadership downplayed the attack Sunday, claiming that it had no involvement in or foreknowledge of the Rafah attack in southern Gaza.

President Donald Trump appeared to accept Hamas’ claim, telling reporters Sunday night on board Air Force One that the attack was likely carried out by a group of “rebels” within Hamas.

Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Tuesday as the administration works to convince Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza peace deal.