Trump team angry at Israel for assassinating Hamas military leader, ‘violating ceasefire’

US officials reported: “Steve (Witkoff) and Jared (Kushner) are pissed by Israeli inflexibility around several Gaza-related issues.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The White House warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel violated the Gaza ceasefire with a strike that killed senior Hamas commander Raad Saad, according to two US officials cited by Axios.

“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,’” one of the officials said.

According to the report, US officials told Netanyahu that Washington viewed the strike as a breach of the ceasefire agreement. The message was delivered amid growing frustration inside the Trump administration over Israel’s handling of Gaza-related issues.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, senior envoy Steve Witkoff, and Middle East adviser Jared Kushner are increasingly dissatisfied with Israel’s positions, according to the officials. “Steve and Jared are pissed by Israeli inflexibility around several Gaza-related issues,” one official said.

Israeli officials are concerned the US may push forward with the next phase of the ceasefire plan even if Master Sgt. Ran Gvilli, the final deceased hostage held in Gaza, is not returned. Israeli media reported last week that Israel considers Gvilli’s return part of the first phase of the agreement.

The second phase of the plan focuses on postwar governance in Gaza and is expected to begin soon. Later stages envision Hamas disarming, Israeli forces withdrawing, a multinational force deploying in the Strip, and a Palestinian technocratic body assuming responsibility for day-to-day administration.

The reported dispute comes ahead of a planned meeting between Netanyahu and President Trump in two weeks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment.

An Israeli official claimed that the US reaction was milder than reported, but was played up because of complaints from “certain Arab countries” that believed the elimination of Hamas’s last military leader violated the truce.

Israel’s military defended the strike, saying that it was in defense after soldiers were wounded in an ambush and because of attempts at weapons smuggling by the terror group.