Senior Trump advisers say no violations of Israel-Hamas ceasefire

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Senior Trump advisers say no violations of Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Senior Trump administration advisers said Wednesday evening they have not witnessed any violations of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and are urging patience as efforts to retrieve bodies of hostages have extended beyond the initial 72-hour time frame.

Two senior U.S. advisers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, briefed reporters on progress of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip, as cracks emerge in the ceasefire that was put in place last week. 

“We’re not at the point yet where anyone feels like the agreement has been violated,” a senior U.S. adviser said.

Tensions are rising in Israel, as Hamas has delivered bodies of hostages in multiple handoffs, reportedly claiming that it needs more time to retrieve bodies amid the physical devastation of the Gaza Strip. 

Hamas has so far delivered the bodies of nine hostages. Israel said one body did not match any identification of the deceased hostages after forensic testing. 

“We’ve heard a lot of people saying, ‘Well, Hamas violated the deal, because not all the bodies have been returned.’ I think the understanding we had with them was we get all the live hostages out, which they did honor that, and right now, we have a mechanism in place where we’re working closely with mediators and with them [Hamas] to do our best to get as many bodies out as possible,” one senior U.S. adviser said.

“And we continue to give them the intelligence that the Israelis have, and … we’ll keep working in good faith until we were able to exhaust that mechanism.”

The advisers also said the U.S. has communicated to mediators to tell Hamas to stop killing civilians, after the armed group carried out a retribution campaign against other armed groups in the Strip as a means to reassert control. 

While Trump said he gave Hamas approval for a period of time to assert security control during the ceasefire, he said during an Oval Office meeting he wasn’t bothered by reports that Hamas was killing “gang members.” 

Still, U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper issued a statement Wednesday that the U.S. strongly urges and expects Hamas to “immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinians in Gaza.” 

Cooper is overseeing a joint command center in Israel, to be staffed by 200 U.S. service members, to conduct oversight on the ceasefire. 

“Obviously, there have been a lot of reports in Gaza of Hamas killing and going after Palestinian civilians. That’s something that we’ve been working with the mediators to send a message to say we’d really like to see that stop,” the senior U.S. adviser said. 

The U.S. is working with Israel to develop “safe zones” behind the current Israeli military positions in the Gaza Strip, which is called the Yellow Line, with the senior adviser suggesting that Palestinians who feel under threat could seek safety. 

“This is a new line of effort that we requested, and it was met with a lot of enthusiasm from Israel to try to set this up,” the senior U.S. adviser said. 

The advisers added that they are still pursuing Hamas’s demilitarization but said that as part of Phase 2 negotiations, “right now we’re in the process of defining how to get there in a way where everyone feels safe.”

The officials said the U.S. is still working to set up an International Stabilization Force. Regional experts have warned that Hamas has a head start on reasserting its military control in Gaza absent a separate security force to replace it in the Strip and is likely to push for political inclusion as it takes responsibility for civilian services like rubble clearing and infrastructure repairs. 

The senior advisers said “a lot of people have been reaching out” to be part of a technocratic government to exercise governance over the Gaza Strip, when asked how the U.S. will ensure Hamas or Hamas-affiliated individuals do not take on roles in such a body. 

They said that the board of peace, of which Trump is the chair and that is said to include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, will make the decisions on who fills out the Palestinian governance structure. Trump said Monday, during a whirlwind trip to the Middle East celebrating the release of hostages and the ceasefire, that the board of peace is still being formed.