Trump says ‘rebels’ staged deadly attack on IDF troops in Gaza, echoing Hamas claim
US President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that the Hamas leadership was not involved in a deadly attack against IDF troops in the southern Gaza Strip, blaming it instead on “some rebels within.”
The Israel Defense Forces directly blamed Hamas for the attack, but Trump’s comment appeared to echo the assertion by the terror group that the incident occurred in an area under Israeli control, where they claim to have had no contact with their operatives for months.
“As you know, they’ve been quite rambunctious. They’ve been doing some shooting, and we think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“We want to make sure that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas,” he added. “It’s going to be handled toughly, but properly.”
Expressing hope that the ceasefire would hold, Trump said the US wants to ensure “that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas.”
Two Israeli soldiers — Maj. Yaniv Kula, 26, and Staff Sgt. Itay Yavetz — were killed and three were wounded when terror operatives launched an attack on troops in the Rafah area. The IDF blamed Hamas for the attack, calling it a “blatant” violation of the ceasefire.
The IDF announced the........
© The Times of Israel
