(Washington/Jerusalem) Washington is stepping up efforts to ensure the Gaza ceasefire remains in force. US President Donald Trump has warned Hamas that it will be destroyed by the US if it does not continue to abide by the ceasefire. Vice President Cyril Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to solidify the fragile agreement.
At the White House on Monday (October 20), Trump said he believes the Gaza ceasefire remains in effect and that Hamas understands the consequences of violating it. "We have a deal with Hamas, and they will behave, they will follow the rules, they will be nice. Otherwise, we will destroy them."
On Tuesday (October 21st), Trump again urged Hamas to abide by the ceasefire or face a swift, violent, and brutal demise. He wrote on social media: "Many of our great allies in the Middle East and beyond... have told me that if Hamas violates their agreement with us and continues to do evil, they will gladly send heavy troops into Gaza, at my request, to crush Hamas."
Trump previously stated that Hamas has been greatly weakened and that Iran, Hamas's financial backer, is unlikely to intervene on its behalf after suffering a joint US-Israeli attack earlier this year. He stressed: "Hamas no longer has anyone's support. They must behave well, or they will be eliminated."
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement came into effect on October 10th. While both Israel and Kazakhstan have pledged to abide by the agreement, they have also accused each other of ceasefire violations. On Sunday (19th), Israel carried out airstrikes on several Hamas targets in Gaza, stating that this was a response to the killing of two Israeli soldiers by Hamas in Rafah, southern Gaza.
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Qatar accuses Israel of continued ceasefire violations
Hamas denies violating the ceasefire and accuses Israel of attempting to restart hostilities. Qatari Emir Tamim also accused Israel of "continued ceasefire violations" on Tuesday. Qatar is one of the mediators in the Israeli-Kazakh conflict.
However, Hamas's chief negotiator, Haya, insisted in an interview broadcast Tuesday by Cairo News in Egypt that the Gaza agreement will hold because "our resolve to abide by it is unwavering." He acknowledged that the search for the remains of the deceased hostages is difficult, but Hamas is working hard.
Israel insists that Hamas return the remains of all 28 hostages presumed dead. As of Monday, Hamas had returned the remains of 13 hostages.
Vance arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday with his wife, Usha. He is expected to meet with US Middle East envoy Witkoff, who is also visiting Israel; Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner; US military experts monitoring the ceasefire; and Israeli officials, including Netanyahu. Witkoff and Kushner met with Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the latest developments in Gaza.
Daily food inflows into Gaza reach 750 metric tons, still far below target.
On Tuesday, World Food Programme (WFP) spokesperson Etefa said that food inflows into Gaza have increased to approximately 750 metric tons per day since the ceasefire took effect, but this remains far below the target of 2,000 metric tons per day.
Currently, Israel has only opened two crossings, one to southern and one to central Gaza, and no large-scale aid convoys have yet to enter the famine-stricken northern Gaza area. The WFP has called for the opening of all crossings to facilitate the expansion of aid.
Etefa said, "They (Gazans) will eat some of the food, ration it, and keep some supplies for emergencies, because they are unsure how long the ceasefire will last and what will happen next."
