Trump Confirms Gaza Ceasefire Holds Firm as Israel Retaliates for Soldier’s Death

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that the U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza faces no jeopardy following Israel's launch of airstrikes in the enclave. The strikes, which killed 26 people, came in direct response to the killing of an Israeli soldier.

Israeli aircraft targeted positions in Gaza on Tuesday after the Israeli military accused Hamas of breaching the three-week-old truce. The ceasefire, personally brokered by Trump, took effect on October 10, effectively pausing two years of intense conflict ignited by Hamas-led assaults on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Gazan health officials reported devastating casualties from the Israeli operation: at least five people died in a house strike in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, four perished in a building hit in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood, and five more lost their lives in a car targeted in Khan Younis.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump addressed the incident head-on. "As I understand it, they took out an Israeli soldier," he said. "So the Israelis hit back and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back."

The Israeli military officially confirmed the soldier's death on Wednesday. Trump emphasized the ceasefire's resilience, declaring, "Nothing is going to jeopardize" it. He downplayed Hamas's role in broader regional peace efforts, adding, "You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that he had ordered "immediate powerful attacks" in retaliation. An Israeli military official explained that Hamas violated the agreement by launching an assault on Israeli forces positioned along the "yellow line," the designated deployment boundary established in the truce.

Trump issued a stark warning to Hamas: "If they are good, they are going to be happy and if they are not good, they are going to be terminated, their lives will be terminated." He referenced reports of sniper fire as the likely cause of the soldier's death in Rafah, southern Gaza, noting, "Nobody knows what happened to the Israeli soldier but they say it was sniper fire. And it was retribution for that, and I think they have a right to do that."

Both Israel and Hamas have repeatedly pointed fingers at each other for ceasefire infractions since the deal's inception.

In response, Hamas categorically denied any involvement in the Rafah attack on Israeli troops and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement in an official statement.

This latest flare-up underscores the fragile nature of the truce amid ongoing tensions, with Trump positioning himself as its staunch defender while affirming Israel's right to self-defense.