The White House sent a sharp private message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israel eliminated a senior Hamas military commander over the weekend, warning that the strike violated the Gaza ceasefire brokered by President Trump, Axios reported.
According to the report, US officials said the message reflected growing frustration within the Trump administration over Israel’s actions and disagreements surrounding the next stage of the Gaza agreement and Israel’s regional policies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, and presidential adviser Jared Kushner were described as increasingly dissatisfied with Netanyahu’s approach.
The dispute followed an Israeli strike on Saturday in Gaza City that killed Ra’ad Sa’ad, deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing and one of the planners of the October 7אי attacks. Four people were killed in the strike. US officials told Axios that Israel did not notify or consult Washington in advance.
A senior US official was quoted as saying the White House warned Netanyahu that violating the agreement would damage both his own standing and President Trump’s reputation after brokering the ceasefire. While an Israeli official acknowledged White House displeasure, he said the message was less severe and related to how certain Arab states viewed the strike.
Israel told the Trump administration that Hamas had violated the ceasefire first by attacking Israeli soldiers and resuming weapons smuggling. The Israeli official said the killing of Saad was intended to respond to those violations and preserve the ceasefire.
Axios reported that the incident is part of a broader series of tensions between Washington and Jerusalem, including disagreements over Israeli actions in Syria, concerns about violence and provocations in Judea and Samaria, and disputes over advancing to the second phase of the Gaza agreement. The White House and the Israeli embassy declined to comment.