The U.S. State Department has revealed that it has "credible reports" that Hamas may be about to breach the ceasefire with an attack on Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
If such an attack were to occur, it "would constitute a direct and grave violation" of the peace agreement brokered by President Donald Trump to end the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to the statement.
No further details were disclosed about the potential attack.
The US government warned: "Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,".
Trump had previously cautioned via social media that "if Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them."
However, the U.S. president later clarified he would not deploy U.S. troops into Gaza following his threat against Hamas.
"It's not going to be us," he informed reporters. "We won't have to. There are people very close, very nearby that will go in and they'll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices."
This aggressive rhetoric from Trump marks a change from his initial indifference towards Hamas killings, as he previously dismissed them as merely eliminating "a couple of gangs that were very bad."
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