Despite renewed mutual shelling in the Gaza Strip, US President Donald Trump has expressed confidence that the ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist Hamas will continue. “Nothing” will endanger the ceasefire, he said on Wednesday. However, Israel should “hit back” if Israeli soldiers are killed. “They killed an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back. And they should hit back,” Trump told reporters on the presidential plane, Air Force One.
US Vice President JD Vance also believes the ceasefire agreement is holding. “The ceasefire is holding. But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be small skirmishes from time to time,” US media quoted the US Vice President as saying. According to the government, Israel had previously bombed targets in the Gaza Strip again in response to an attack by Hamas on Israeli soldiers.
Hamas said it was not responsible for the attack on the soldiers. The information could not be independently verified. The Israeli government informed the US in advance about the air strikes, the Wall Street Journal quoted a US official as saying. Washington expected targeted attacks from Israel. Israel does not intend to endanger the ceasefire.
Already several incidents
It was known that “Hamas or someone else inside the Gaza Strip” had attacked an Israeli army soldier, Vance said, according to the US television station NBC. One expects the Israelis to react to this. But he thinks that US President Donald Trump’s peace plan will still stand. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, there have been repeated deadly incidents in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 90 Palestinians have already been killed. Just over a week ago, two Israeli soldiers were killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack. Israel also accuses Hamas of delaying the handover of dead hostages.
