Ceasefire Survives Major Test + Other Headlines

Ceasefire Survives First Big Test

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took a major hit over the weekend when Israel claimed that Hamas fighters attacked IDF troops in Rafah. Two soldiers died in those attacks.

Israel blamed Hamas, but the leaders of the terrorist group insisted they weren’t involved. In response, Israel launched broad airstrikes at 20 targets across Gaza, resulting in several dozen more deaths. After those strikes, Israel paused humanitarian aid shipments into Gaza. The Trump administration scrambled to put pressure on Israel at that point in order to make sure the ceasefire didn’t fall apart, and the flow of aid then restarted:

“Israel does not want to bring about the collapse of the ceasefire,” a security official said. “There is simply a straightforward equation of a violation and a response — and this will continue as long as Hamas keeps violating the agreement.”

Hamas representatives are now in Cairo participating in talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Trump and J.D. Vance have both said they expect the ceasefire to last, but if Hamas does not comply, the response will be “fast, furious and brutal.”

Here’s what will come next.