HAMAS is plotting an “imminent” attack on civilians in Gaza, the US has warned.
The State Department said on Saturday it had “credible reports” that the terror group was planning a fresh assault against Palestinians, calling it a “direct and grave violation” of the US-brokered truce.
“Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,” the department said.
The chilling warning comes amid growing signs Hamas is unwilling to abide by the peace deal it signed last week, under which it was supposed to disarm, release hostages and halt attacks.
Instead, the group has continued executing Palestinians in public squares and now stands accused of preparing new violence against the very people it claims to defend.
President Donald Trump, whose 20-point plan ended nearly two years of bloodshed, issued a blunt threat: “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.”
LOST IN RUBBLE
Israeli families face WEEKS of agony as Hamas can’t find hostages’ remains
DON WARNING
Trump warns Hamas ‘we’ll have no choice but to kill them’ if carnage continues
He later clarified that he would not deploy US troops.
The State Department’s warning follows verified footage of Hamas gunmen lining up eight blindfolded men with their hands tied before shooting them in front of a crowd.
Hamas claimed the victims were “criminals and collaborators with Israel.”
Despite the ceasefire, Hamas has openly targeted rival armed “clans” in Gaza in a bid to reassert control.
And crucially, it has refused to surrender its weapons – another violation of the agreement.
Hamas officials have claimed their forces are trying to “restore law and order” in areas vacated by Israeli troops.
Interior Ministry forces have clashed with armed groups accused of looting aid and collaborating with Israel, executing several suspects in public in widely condemned street killings.
Two more bodies returned
Even as fears of a new Hamas atrocity mounted, the terror group on Saturday night handed over the bodies of two more Israeli hostages.
The remains, transferred via the Red Cross, have yet to be formally identified.
It brings the total number of returned bodies to 12 out of 28 promised under the ceasefire deal.
Hamas previously returned the body of 75-year-old Eliyahu Margalit, described by his family as “a cowboy at heart,” 742 days after he was kidnapped and murdered during the October 7 attacks.
His family said: “Our beloved Eli has returned home… and we will not stop or rest until the last of the hostages is returned for burial in Israel.”
On Sunday, Israel identified one of the two newly returned bodies as Ronen Engel, 54, who was killed defending his family in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.
His wife, Karina, and two of his three children were abducted and freed in November 2023.
The second body is still undergoing identification.
But Hamas’ failure to hand over all the bodies has sparked outrage all the way in America.
President Trump blasted on Truth Social: “THE JOB IS NOT DONE. THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED!”
Back in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the Rafah border crossing into Egypt – a vital lifeline for medical evacuations – will remain closed “until further notice” until all remains are returned.
Reopening Rafah has become one of the most contentious issues of the ceasefire.
The crossing, the only one not controlled by Israel before the war, has been closed since May 2024 when Israel seized the Gaza side.
On Sunday, the Palestinian Authority announced new procedures for people wishing to cross, including temporary travel documents issued by embassy staff in Cairo.
A full reopening would allow Palestinians to seek medical treatment or visit family abroad.
Anger also grew after it emerged that one of the bodies handed over was not a hostage at all but a Palestinian, deepening suspicion that Hamas is deliberately withholding remains.
‘Deliberate cruelty‘
Families of the hostages say the terror group’s tactics reveal the depth of its brutality.
“Hamas used systematic torture and psychological terror as weapons of war to dehumanise, humiliate, and destroy,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
“The world must confront the full horror of Hamas’ actions and stand with the families to demand the return of every last hostage.”
The ceasefire, hailed as a breakthrough just days ago, is already under intense strain.
Hamas accused Israel of breaking the truce on Saturday after nine Palestinians were killed when they crossed into Israeli-held territory.
Gaza’s Civil Defence Service said seven children and three women were among 11 people killed when troops opened fire on a vehicle near Gaza City.
Israel has not commented.
The devastating war between Israel and Hamas
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
While the conflict between Israel and Palestine dates back decades, the current fighting erupted two years ago when Hamas fanatics attacked Israel in a massive terror attack.
On October 7, 2023, Islamists terrorists stormed the border between Gaza and Israel, slaughtering over 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping 250 civilians.
Since then, Israel has almost completely destroyed the strip in an effort to eradicate the group and bring home its trapped people.
Tel Aviv’s retaliatory assault and siege on Gaza created a devastating humanitarian crisis, perpetuating a brutal cycle of attack and counter-attack.
Amid international cries for peace, Israeli PM Netanyahu vowed not to stop until Hamas is destroyed.
His goal to deradicalise Gaza – and the terror group’s existential struggle – created a political and military stalemate in the narrow strip.
The sheer scale of destruction and hardening of positions made it difficult for diplomats to adopt a political solution.
However, with Donald Trump’s proposed 20-point peace plan for Gaza, an end to the bloody war looks near.
New Gaza force
As tensions rise, preparations for the second phase of Trump’s peace plan are under way.
Azerbaijan has reportedly joined Indonesia in pledging troops to an Egypt-led international stabilisation force that could deploy to Gaza.
The UN Security Council is expected to authorise the mission in the coming days.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance will visit Israel on Monday for talks on Gaza’s future governance.
SHOP TO IT
Shoppers race to grab kitchen set scanning for just £6 with huge £50 off
MURDER PROBE
‘Murdered’ businessman found dead inside his own home just weeks after wife
Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem said the group had started talks with mediators about the second phase of negotiations, which would include disarmament and creating a new internationally backed governing authority.
He said Hamas would not be part of the post-war ruling structure but insisted that its government bodies would continue “to avoid a power vacuum” until a new administrative committee is agreed.
Trump’s 20-point peace plan
- 1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone
- 2. Gaza will be redeveloped
- 3. The war will immediately end
- 4. Within 72 hours, all hostages will be returned
- 5. Israel will release 250 dangerous prisoners plus 1700 Gazans detained after Oct 7th
- 6. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage
- 7. Full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip
- 8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference
- 9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee
- 10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created
- 11. A special economic zone will be established
- 12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza
- 13. Hamas agrees to not have any role in the governance of Gaza
- 14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas comply with obligations
- 15. The US will work to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza
- 16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza
- 17. If Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, Israel can proceed with invasion
- 18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established
- 19. Credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood can begin
- 20. The US will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians for peaceful and prosperous co-existence