US envoys met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday aiming to corral Israel and Hamas to get the Gaza ceasefire plan back on track after an explosion of violence over the weekend that threatened to derail the week-old truce.
Israel and Hamas have both recommitted to the ceasefire plan brokered by US President Donald Trump since Sunday’s flare-up in which a Palestinian attack that killed two soldiers prompted an Israeli bombardment killing at least 28 people in Gaza.
However, with even the first stages of the truce shaken by repeated flashes of violence, including yesterday, it was far from clear whether the US will be able to keep pressure on the two sides and maintain momentum to end the conflict.
The latest events reflected the stumbling blocks to keeping the long-sought ceasefire from unravelling and securing a lasting peace after two years of war in Gaza.
Key questions of Hamas disarming, further Israeli troop pullbacks and future governance of the Palestinian enclave remain unresolved.
Trump, keeping pressure on both Hamas and Israel as he seeks to salvage the signature foreign policy achievement of the first year of his second term, said yesterday the US was taking many steps to maintain the ceasefire.
He told reporters the ‘Hamas situation’ would be handled quickly but that he had not told Israel to ‘go in and take care of it’.
He said that while Hamas was in violation of the agreement, he did not believe its leadership was responsible but that it was facing ‘some rebellion’ in its ranks.
If Hamas leaders do not straighten it out, ‘we’re going to eradicate them if we have to’, Trump said at the White House.
But he insisted that such actions would not involve US troops on the ground.
During their visit that began yesterday, the US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, were expected to try to shore up the truce then start talks on the next, more difficult, phase of the 20-step plan.
US Vice President JD Vance is also due to visit Israel today, with Netanyahu saying the pair would discuss regional challenges and opportunities.
High-level US diplomacy in the region, with talks also due with Hamas in Egypt, underscored the priority Trump has placed on cementing the ceasefire after proclaiming last week the deal heralded ‘the historic dawn of a new Middle East’.
Yesterday, Palestinian medics said three more people had been killed by Israeli tank fire near the ‘yellow line’ inside Gaza demarcating Israel’s initial military pullback from the main populated areas.
The Israeli military said forces had fired at fighters who crossed that line, which it was started marking with concrete barriers and yellow poles about every 200 meters.
Gaza City residents reported confusion over the line’s location due to the lack of a visible boundary.
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