Overview
- U.S. officials say Israel did not consult Washington before a Gaza City strike that killed Raed Saad, Hamas’ deputy military commander, and three others.
- A senior U.S. official says the message warned that breaching the agreement could damage both Benjamin Netanyahu’s standing and President Trump’s reputation.
- An Israeli official asserts Hamas violated the truce first through attacks on soldiers and weapons smuggling, describing the strike as a step to preserve the ceasefire.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, and adviser Jared Kushner are described as increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, while both governments declined public comment.
- The rift ties into wider disagreements over Israeli actions in Syria, settler violence in the West Bank, and progress toward the agreement’s next phase, with a Trump–Netanyahu meeting slated for December 29 at Mar-a-Lago.