US Warns Of Imminent Hamas Attack On Gaza Civilians, Calls It A Grave Ceasefire Violation

The United States State Department on Saturday (18 October) said that it had "credible reports" suggesting that Hamas was preparing to launch an imminent attack on civilians in Gaza — an act Washington warned would amount to a "grave violation of ceasefire", news agency AFP reported.

"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," said the State Department in a statement.

"Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire," it added.

While the statement did not specify what actions might follow, it came days after US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Hamas over the killing of civilians.

On Truth Social, Trump had wrote, “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,” though he did not clarify who “we” referred to.

Last week, Hamas and Israel reached a phased peace agreement under which Israel halted its Gaza offensive in exchange for the release of hostages still held by the Palestinian terror group since its 7 October 2023 attack.

The initial phase of the agreement, covering the release of surviving hostages and the repatriation of deceased ones, remains under tense and complex implementation.

According to Washington, the guarantor nations for the peace deal — the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey — have been alerted about the “imminent ceasefire violation” by Hamas.

Earlier in the week, Hamas intensified control over Gaza’s devastated regions, initiating a crackdown that included executions of individuals accused of collaboration.

A video posted on Hamas’s official channel showed eight blindfolded, kneeling men being executed in the streets, labeled as “collaborators and outlaws.”

The footage appeared to have been recorded on Monday evening.

Please click here to add Swarajya as your preferred and trusted news source on Google

Also Read: Israel, Hamas Begin Ceasefire After Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan Gets Israeli Cabinet Nod