Key officials in the Trump administration became upset with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for violating the ceasefire by ordering the assassination of a Hamas commander. 

On Saturday, Israel targeted Raed Saad, deputy commander of al-Qassam, with a strike in Gaza City. Saad and three other people were killed. According to Axios, the sticker angered the White House. Two officials told the outlet that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner have become very frustrated with Netanyahu.

The frustration led the White House to send a stern private letter to Tel Aviv. “The White House message to Netanyahu was: ‘If you want to ruin your reputation and show that you don’t abide by agreements, be our guest, but we won’t allow you to ruin President Trump’s reputation after he brokered the deal in Gaza,” a senior US official said, describing the letter. 

Israeli officials told Axios that President Donald Trump was unhappy, but the message from the White House was relaying the concerns of Arab countries. 

The strike was one of hundreds of ceasefire violations Israel has committed during the two-month-long truce. Israel has killed at least 379 Palestinians since October 10. 

The ceasefire was brokered by Trump. At the time it was signed, Hamas officials said they were gambling that Trump would force Netanyahu to obey the truce. Israel has bombed Gaza daily and restricted aid deliveries to the Strip, violating the agreement. 

Additionally, the IDF has fortified its current positions in Gaza. Under the Trump peace deal for Gaza, Israel agreed to undergo additional withdrawals. However, the IDF chief of staff said the current partition line in Gaza is Israel’s new border.