US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that the US is “looking into” whether Israel violated the ceasefire in Gaza by carrying out the targeted strike that eliminated senior Hamas commander Ra’ad Sa’ad over the weekend.
Trump said the United States was examining the circumstances surrounding the elimination of Sa’ad, Hamas’s second-in-command in Gaza.
The President also dismissed reports of tension with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, “My relationship with Bibi is very good. We took Iran out of the game, and because of that we can make peace. We have a good relationship with everyone in the Middle East.”
Trump’s comments follow a report in Axios which said that the White House sent a sharp private message to Netanyahu after Israel eliminated Sa’ad.
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.
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.