Trump says Hamas leadership may not have been behind Rafah attack that killed 2 Israeli soldiers

After the Israeli military accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by attacking an Israeli vehicle in the Rafah area on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the ceasefire agreement still holds. 

Following the attack on an engineering vehicle engaged in clearing operations, the IDF struck dozens of Hamas targets in Gaza, particularly tunnel infrastructure, firing posts, weapons storage facilities, and even targeted several Hamas field commanders. 

The IDF later announced that it had “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” following instructions from the political echelon. 

U.S. President Donald Trump also affirmed the ceasefire to still be in force, speaking to reporters on Air Force One Sunday evening. 

Despite initial praise of the attack on Hamas-affiliated social media accounts, Trump claimed that the attack might not have come from Hamas leadership. 

"We think maybe the leadership isn't involved in that," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, saying he thought the attack could come from “rogue elements.” 

“We’ll handle it tough but fair,” the president claimed, saying, “The ceasefire will hold.” 

Asked whether the Israeli retaliatory strikes were justified, Trump responded, "I'd have to get back to you on that.” 

Vice President J.D. Vance, who is set to visit Israel later this week, also suggested the ceasefire process would be a “bumpy road.” 

Vance spoke with reporters about the Gaza ceasefire while returning from celebrations for the U.S. Marine Corps 250th-year anniversary. 

“Look, it’s going to be complicated,” the vice president said. “Even in the best-case scenario, if this process leads to a sustainable, long-term peace, as the president and I hope, there will still be bumps along the way.” 

“There will be instances where Hamas fires on Israel, and Israel will of course have to respond,” he continued. “There will be moments when it’s unclear who exactly is acting inside Gaza. But we believe this is the best chance for stable peace, and even if it succeeds, there will be ups and downs, and we’ll have to monitor it closely.” 

Palestinian-American mediator Bishara Bahbah, who has participated in the negotiations between Hamas and the U.S., was recently interviewed by Arab media, where he said that President Trump will not allow the Gaza peace agreement to fail. 

“President Trump has embraced the peace process in Gaza and will not allow it to fail,” Bishara Bahbah told Arabic news site Al-Ain. 

Bahabah noted some uncertainties in the agreement regarding the exact timetable for several aspects of the agreement. 

“The side agreement reached between Hamas and the mediators calls for withdrawals according to an unspecified timetable, and additional Israeli withdrawals from the yellow withdrawal line,” he added. 

Bahbah claimed that Israel has not fully withdrawn from to the agreed upon border, citing a map he received from Hamas. 

“Hamas also sent me a map indicating that Israel has not withdrawn to the Yellow Line as agreed upon, and is still penetrating areas supposedly devoid of Israelis, advancing up to a kilometer and a half in some locations,” he claimed. 

The IDF announced its withdrawal to the Yellow Line on Friday, Oct. 10, which was confirmed by the U.S. However, over the past few days, the IDF has been establishing clear markers to indicate the boundaries of the withdrawal line, in order to prevent unintended violations of the line by Palestinians or IDF soldiers.

Over the weekend, Israeli soldiers shot at a vehicle that crossed an unmarked portion of the Yellow Line, resulting in Palestinian casualties. 

In his interview with Al-Ain, Bahbah did not directly address Hamas violations of the ceasefire, of which there have been several over the past few days, following the release of the living hostages last Monday. 

The Palestinian-American, whom Trump personally tapped for the negotiations, also suggested that Hamas will retain control of its weapons for a little longer.

Bahabah claimed that there is an understanding that Hamas will continue to possess personal weapons for a transitional period.

Bahabah told Al Jazeera that the presence of international forces in the Gaza Strip will prevent Israel from striking.

"When international forces, Arabs, Palestinians and Europeans enter the Gaza Strip, Hamas will surrender its weapons and Israel will not dare to attack these forces inside the Gaza Strip," Bahbah told the Qatari news outlet, adding, "But when there is an international presence – Egyptian forces, Indonesians and Palestinians who maintain security in the Gaza Strip – it will be difficult for Israel to attack in the Gaza Strip."