Trump says Gaza ceasefire remains intact even after Israeli strikes kill 104 Palestinians
President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza remained intact even as Israeli strikes killed at least 104 Palestinians in a wave of bombardment the previous night.
Asked for his reaction to the latest Israeli strike, which followed an attack that Israel says killed an Israeli soldier, Trump said Israel had the right to respond.
“They took out, they killed an Israeli soldier, so the Israelis hit back and they should hit back. When that happens, they should,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trump added that “nothing” will jeopardise the ceasefire in Gaza.
Israeli forces said they struck dozens of terror targets and terrorists in retaliation for what they described as violations of the ceasefire.
Israel’s defence minister accused Hamas of an attack that killed an Israeli soldier and of breaching terms on the return of deceased hostages. Hamas denied involvement, saying it had no connection to the attack and accusing Israel of trying to undermine the truce.
The Gaza health ministry reported at least 104 Palestinians killed in the strikes on Tuesday night, a toll that underlined how fragile the ceasefire remains.
Trump characterised Hamas as a narrow but deadly force.
“Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East and they have to behave,” he said, adding that “if they're not good, they're going to be terminated. Their lives will be terminated.”
Trump also suggested broader international backing for enforcement of the accord, noting that “we have many countries that are willing to do that.”
“You know, we have many countries, even Japan today, said we'd love to be involved in the Middle East.”
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
