'They should hit back': PM Trump & VP Vance affirm Gaza ceasefire is not in danger after Israeli strikes

With the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel teetering on the brink of collapse following multiple violations in recent days, including an attack that killed an Israeli soldier on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to support Israel's response.

“They killed an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back. And they should hit back,” Trump told reporters while flying on Air Force One. “Nothing is going to jeopardize [the ceasefire],” he stressed.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted a series of airstrikes against Hamas targets on Tuesday evening, reportedly targeting infrastructure, such as tunnels, as well as field commanders of the terror group.

“Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave. They said they would be good, and if they’re good, they’re going to be happy, and if they’re not good, they’re going to be terminated,” Trump continued.

“We actually met with people [who] were leading [Hamas], and… I think they’re unhappy when they see some people being killed,” he added.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance described the recent incidents as “skirmishes,” which he does not believe will endanger the overall agreement.

“The ceasefire is holding. That doesn't mean that there aren't going to be little skirmishes,” Vance said. “We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an IDF soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond – but I think the President's peace is going to hold despite it.”

According to Israeli media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained hesitant to order intense military strikes after Hamas handed over partial remains of a hostage who had already been buried in Israel.

However, when the report of the deadly attack on an IDF soldier was received, the prime minister reportedly decided to instruct the military to carry out the airstrikes.

“Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu has directed the military to immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated.

In addition, a decision was made to expand the area of Gaza that is under direct IDF control; however, there were no reports of Israeli advances at the time of publication.

The Trump administration has reportedly been pressuring Israel not to respond violently to Hamas’ numerous ceasefire violations over the past several days so as not to collapse the entire agreement.

According to Axios, Israel presented drone video footage showing Hamas staging a fake retrieval of the hostage remains, but U.S. officials replied that they don’t see it as a significant violation.

The following security meeting “ended without any decisions and Netanyahu concluded it by noting that coordination with the U.S. would be necessary to determine which steps Israel could take,” an Israeli official stated.

However, on Tuesday afternoon, reports of the killing of the IDF soldier emerged. The soldier was later identified as Effi Feldbaum. Hamas then claimed to have found another hostage's body. After Netanyahu announced the retaliatory airstrikes Hamas announced that it wouldn’t return the body after all.

The Times of Israel quoted the PMO stating that Israel had informed the Trump administration before the Gaza airstrikes. “We were informed,” a U.S. official confirmed.