‘Israelis should hit back because…’: Trump breaks silence after Gaza airstrikes, says THIS about ceasefire with Hamas

US President Donald Trump, aboard Air Force One while flying to South Korea, issued his first response on the broken ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that he brokered weeks ago. Dismissing any possibility of resumption of war, Trump said that “nothing would jeopardise ceasefire” in Gaza. However, he backed Israel's right to hit back. Both sides accused each other of violating the US-brokered truce on Monday and Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza. Trump said, “They killed an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back. And they should hit back.”

Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance expressed confidence that ceasefire will hold. Calling the latest attack by Israel and rising tensions with Hamas as “little skirmishes,” Vance said that Trump's peace is still holding. "The ceasefire is holding. That doesn't mean that there aren't going to be little skirmishes here and there," Vance said. Speaking to reporters, Vance added that Hamas or “somebody else” attacked an Israeli soldier, due to which Tel Aviv was responding. “We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an (Israeli military) soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the President's peace is going to hold despite that.” Meanwhile, Gaza's civil defense agency said at least nine people were killed in Israeli strikes.

How recent tensions rose between Hamas and Israel

The tensions between both sides reignited since Monday after Hamas handed over what it said was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies to Israel as part of the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on October 10. However, Israeli forensic examination revealed that the Palestinian group had handed over partial remains of a hostage whose body had already been brought back around two years ago. Israel accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire and staging fake search for bodies. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem rejected claims the group knows where the remaining bodies are, arguing that Israel's bombardment during the two-year war had left locations unrecognisable. Meanwhile, defence minister accused Hamas of attacking Israeli troops in the southern Gaza Strip. Frustrated with the developments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the IDF to “carry out immediate and powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip.” Minutes later, Hamas said that it was postponing the hostage body handover due to Israeli violations.