The United States issued a stark warning on October 18, 2025, citing "credible reports" that Hamas is planning an imminent attack on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, which Washington described as a potential violation of the recently brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel. The State Department's statement emphasised that such an action would represent a "direct and grave violation" of the truce, undermining mediation efforts that have already facilitated the release of all living hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, assault. The fragile peace, forged last week under U.S. auspices, ended Israel's extensive military offensive in exchange for the hostages' freedom, but recent escalations—including Hamas's public executions of alleged collaborators—have heightened fears of renewed instability in the war-ravaged enclave. The U.S. notified guarantor nations Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey of the intelligence, underscoring a coordinated international response to preserve the accord's integrity.
The ceasefire's first phase, now underway, has seen significant milestones: Israel has withdrawn from much of Gaza and released 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees, while Hamas returned the remains of deceased hostages, with two more bodies handed over on October 18 amid ongoing verifications. However, tensions persist, as evidenced by a separate incident where 11 members of a Palestinian family were killed by an Israeli tank shell near a demarcation line, marking the deadliest post-ceasefire clash.
Hamas has not publicly responded to the U.S. allegations, but the group has intensified its internal security measures this week, releasing graphic footage of the street execution of eight blindfolded suspects labelled as "collaborators and outlaws" in a crowded Gaza square. Such displays, authenticated by BBC Verify, evoke comparisons to past purges and signal Hamas's efforts to consolidate control over Gaza's ruined urban centres, where over 68,000 Palestinians have died since the conflict's onset, per the Hamas-run health ministry—figures deemed reliable by the United Nations.
President Donald Trump, who brokered the deal, amplified the rhetoric earlier in the week via Truth Social, stating, "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." He later clarified to reporters that no U.S. troops would be deployed, instead alluding to "people very close, very nearby" who could intervene under American oversight—a veiled reference to regional allies like Israel or Arab states. The State Department echoed this resolve, vowing unspecified "measures" to safeguard Gaza's residents and enforce the ceasefire if the reported attack materialises, though details on the intelligence sources or the attack's nature remain classified. This comes against a backdrop of shifting U.S. policy under Trump, who initially downplayed Hamas's internal killings as targeting "bad gangs" but has since hardened his stance amid domestic pressures over the hostage crisis.
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The allegations have sparked widespread concern on social media and among international observers, with X posts from outlets like Al Arabiya and WION highlighting the potential for escalation just as humanitarian aid begins flowing more freely into Gaza. Critics, including human rights groups, urge transparency on the "credible reports" to avoid pretexts for further military action, while a September UN inquiry accused Israel of genocide—a charge Jerusalem dismissed as "distorted".
As the first phase concludes with the return of 10 out of 28 deceased hostages' remains, the onus falls on all parties to uphold the truce. The U.S. reaffirms its commitment to civilian safety and regional peace, but the spectre of intra-Palestinian violence threatens to unravel two years of bloodshed's hard-won respite, leaving Gaza's 2.3 million residents in precarious limbo.
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