The U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is looking increasingly fragile after Israel shot several people on Tuesday and U.S. President Donald Trump raised the prospect of further violence.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said of the Palestinian militant group: “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly, and perhaps violently.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli troops shot several people who they accused of violating the ceasefire agreement by crossing the ‘yellow line’ behind which Israeli troops are stationed. Local authorities said six were killed.
There is also tension over the return of the bodies of people that Hamas took hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, with Israel accusing the militant group of being too slow to return the remainder. Four bodies out of the estimated 28 were handed over on Monday.
Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Hamas an ultimatum on their return. “If you do not immediately return all the bodies of our fallen and continue to delay, we will immediately halt all aid supplies entering the Strip,” Ben-Gvir said on Telegram.
The truce agreement called for the immediate handover of all bodies but acknowledged the destruction of the enclave might make some difficult to locate.
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