Senior Trump administration officials are increasingly concerned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may resume a wide-scale military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to a report published late Monday by The New York Times, which cited several unnamed US officials.
The report said the current strategy of the Trump administration centers on preventing Netanyahu from returning to full-scale fighting. To that end, US Vice President JD Vance, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and senior advisor Jared Kushner are being deployed to try and dissuade Israel from launching another major operation in the coastal enclave. Kushner is expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days.
The report comes at a sensitive moment, just hours before Vance is scheduled to land in Israel for what has been described as a critical diplomatic mission. He is expected to focus on preserving the fragile hostage deal and preventing further deterioration of the security situation.
A senior White House official, speaking privately to convey President Donald Trump's position, said the president believes Hamas's leadership is prepared to continue negotiations in good faith. According to the same official, Trump also believes the recent attack that killed Israeli soldiers was carried out by a fringe element within the terrorist organization and does not reflect the leadership's intentions.
Jerusalem, however, sees things very differently. Senior Israeli officials say Hamas is systematically violating the terms of the deal and that there is no indication the organization is acting in good faith. According to these officials, the attack that killed the soldiers was part of a deliberate policy by Hamas, not a rogue incident.
