US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media next to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on board Air Force One en route to South Korea.
Credit: Reuters Photo
On Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump said that a US-backed ceasefire in Gaza was not at risk after health authorities in the region reported deaths of at least 26 people in Israeli strikes, as the militant group Hamas and Israel traded accusations , blaming the other for the onslaught of violence.
After Israel accused the Hamas of violating the ceasefire, Israeli planes launched strikes in Gaza on Tuesday, the latest breakout of violence in the three-week-old deal mediated by the US President.
"As I understand it, they took out an Israeli soldier," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "So the Israelis hit back and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back," he added.
"Nothing is going to jeopardize" the ceasefire, the US President further added. "You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave."
The attacks by Israeli planes continued into early Wednesday across the Gaza Strip, according to witnesses.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes, which followed a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office saying he had ordered immediate "powerful attacks."
The statement did not give a particular reason for the attacks but an Israeli military official said Hamas had violated the ceasefire by carrying out an attack against Israeli forces in an Israeli-controlled area of the enclave.
"This is yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire," the official said.
Gazan authorities said the strikes killed at least 26 people, including five in a house hit in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, four in a building in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood, and five in a car in Khan Younis.
The US-backed ceasefire agreement went into effect on October 10, halting two years of war triggered by deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Both sides have accused each other of ceasefire violations.
"If they (Hamas) 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," Trump said.
"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."
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli media reported an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on the reports.
Hamas denied responsibility for an attack on Israeli forces in Rafah. The group also said in a statement that it remained committed to the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Tuesday's strikes on Gaza City followed what Israel called a "targeted strike" on Saturday on a person in central Gaza who it said was planning to attack Israeli troops.