The US State Department has issued a stark warning, citing 'credible reports' that Hamas is planning an 'imminent' attack on civilians in Gaza, which would violate the ceasefire agreement. This potential attack is a direct threat to the fragile peace, as the statement emphasizes, and could undermine the significant progress made through mediation efforts. The department's statement, released on Saturday, highlights the gravity of the situation, but it does not provide further details on the nature of the planned attack or the specific reports it is referencing. The first phase of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel is currently in progress, with all living hostages released and the bodies of the deceased still being returned to Israel. As part of the agreement, Israel has also freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. Washington has informed other guarantors of the Gaza peace agreement, including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and demanded that Hamas uphold its end of the ceasefire terms. The statement warns that 'measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire' if Hamas proceeds with the attack. However, Hamas has not yet commented on these claims. President Donald Trump has previously warned Hamas against the killing of civilians, stating that the US would take action if Hamas continued to violate the ceasefire. This week, he posted on Truth Social, suggesting that the US might intervene if Hamas persisted in its actions. The recent authenticity of graphic videos showing a public execution by Hamas gunmen in Gaza has also raised concerns. BBC Verify authenticated these videos, which depict masked gunmen, some wearing green headbands associated with Hamas, lining up and executing eight people in a crowded square. The identity of the gunmen remains unclear. On Saturday, Israel received two more bodies from Gaza, which Hamas claims are hostages, though they have not been formally identified. So far, the remains of 10 out of 28 deceased hostages have been returned to Israel. Additionally, 11 members of a single Palestinian family were killed by an Israeli tank shell, according to the Hamas-run civil defense ministry, marking the deadliest single incident involving Israeli soldiers in Gaza since the ceasefire began. The Israeli military claims the soldiers fired at a 'suspicious vehicle' that crossed the yellow line demarcating the area still occupied by Israeli forces in Gaza, though the coordinates of the incident are still under review. The conflict in Gaza began with the 7 October 2023 attack, where Hamas-led gunmen killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage. Since then, Israeli attacks in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of at least 68,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN. In September, a UN commission of inquiry reported that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a claim that Israel vehemently rejected as 'distorted and false'.
