The United States informed the guarantors of the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement about credible reports indicating an imminent violation of the ceasefire by Hamas, targeting Gaza’s civilians.
The planned attack against Palestinian civilians constitutes an immediate and serious breach of the ceasefire agreement and would endanger the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts. The guarantors are demanding that Hamas meet its obligations under the terms of the ceasefire, the State Department said in a statement.
If Hamas proceeds with this attack, measures will be taken to protect Gaza’s civilians and to preserve the integrity of the ceasefire, the U.S. Department of State warned.
“The United States and the other guarantors remain steadfast in their commitment to the security of civilians, the maintenance of calm in the region, and the promotion of peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza and the wider region,” the statement concluded.
Before the State Department announcement, Donald Trump had issued a direct threat against Hamas: in a post on Thursday, October 16, he wrote that “if they continue to kill people” in Gaza, then “we have no choice but to go in and kill them.”
A short time after a long conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the American president referred to incidents of Palestinians being killed by members of Hamas.
“If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not part of the Agreement, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he wrote.
These are people who belong to armed forces suspected of being armed and influenced by Israeli forces.
In recent days there have been many incidents—some of which have been recorded on videos circulating online—of summary executions.
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