State Department warns Hamas may violate ceasefire with attack on Palestinian civilians

The U.S. Department of State on Saturday warned there are “credible reports” that Hamas may break the peace agreement with a “planned attack” on Palestinian civilians. 

“This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts,” the department said in a statement on social media. “The guarantors demand Hamas uphold its obligations under the ceasefire terms.”

The statement concluded, “The United States and the other guarantors remain resolute in our commitment to ensuring the safety of civilians, maintaining calm on the ground, and advancing peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza and the region as a whole.”

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect last weekend after two years of war in the region following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel. 

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Members of Hamas searching for bodies of the hostages in Khan Younis of the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday.  (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

On Monday, the 20 remaining surviving Israeli hostages were returned to Israel per the agreement, but more than a dozen remains of hostages who were killed are still under Hamas control. 

The State Department added that “measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire” if Hamas proceeds with the attack. 

On Thursday, President Donald Trump issued a warning on Truth Social after footage circulated online showing Hamas fighters executing Palestinians in Gaza City’s main square. 

“If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them,” he wrote.

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According to Reuters, at least 33 people were executed by Hamas in recent days in what officials described as a campaign to “show strength” after the ceasefire. Israeli sources say most of those killed belonged to families accused of collaborating with Israel or supporting rival militias.

Trump later clarified that U.S. troops would not go into Gaza. 

In this still from a verified social media video confirmed to Reuters by a Hamas source, seven men are forced to their knees and shot from behind by Hamas gunmen during public executions in Gaza on Oct. 14. (Reuters)

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“It’s not going to be us,” he told reporters. “We won’t have to. There are people very close, very nearby that will go in and they’ll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices.”

Fox News’ Efrat Lachter and the Associated Press contributed to this report.