The administration of US President Donald Trump is concerned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could jeopardize the Gaza ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, according to a report by The New York Times.
The Times, citing several unnamed US officials, reported on Tuesday that the administration's worry over Netanyahu's possible disruption of the US-brokered deal has prompted a coordinated diplomatic effort from Washington to uphold the truce and prevent a return to full-scale war.
The American daily further noted that Vice President JD Vance's current visit to Israel is intended to exert pressure on Netanyahu to adhere to the ceasefire in Gaza and “add an extra symbolic layer to illustrate the administration’s commitment to keeping the deal intact.”
The report also stated that US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, both arrived in Israel on Monday for discussions with Netanyahu and other officials regarding the implementation of the deal.
According to US officials, both Witkoff and Kushner believe that the ceasefire deal is “in danger of falling apart,” adding that their strategy in Israel is “to try to keep Netanyahu from resuming an all-out assault against Hamas.”
The report further said that Witkoff and Kushner’s negotiations in Israel are focused on addressing “some of the trickier areas that were left undefined in their initial deal,” such as the establishment of a stabilization force and the disarmament of Hamas.
The fragility of the situation was underscored by recent Israeli airstrikes across several areas of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including the southern city of Rafah, which left dozens killed.
The Israeli military accused Hamas of attacking its forces inside Gaza with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire. Hamas, however, denied involvement in any attacks, reaffirming its “full commitment” to the ceasefire.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Monday that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement with Hamas 47 times since the truce took hold, killing at least 38 Palestinians and injuring 143 others.
The ceasefire deal took effect on October 10 in the Gaza Strip, based on a phased plan presented by Trump. The first phase included the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel accepted the Gaza truce deal after two years, following the failure to achieve its declared objectives of eliminating Hamas and freeing all captives, despite killing 68,159 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 170,203 others.
