Hamas may be planning attack on Palestinian civilians, U.S. says

Hamas may be planning an attack on “Palestinian civilians” in the Gaza Strip, the U.S. State Department announced Saturday.

In a statement, it said the U.S. had informed nations that signed on to the Gaza peace plan brokered by President Trump “of credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.”

The State Department did not provide any details on the timing or location of the possible attack, saying only that it “would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts.” Mr. Trump’s envoys met Hamas representatives to finalize the peace plan, though the U.S. continues to designate it as a terrorist group. 

“Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,” the State Department added. It did not disclose what those measures might entail. 

On Sunday, Hamas rejected the claims by the U.S. State Department, calling them “false allegations.” The group accused Israel of supporting armed groups operating in Israeli-controlled areas. Hamas urged the U.S. administration to pressure Israel to stop supporting the gangs and “providing them a safe haven.”

This also comes after CBS News obtained a video on Wednesday, which shows armed Hamas fighters standing over Palestinians they have accused of being gang members collaborating with Israel. Moments later in the video, they execute them.

Israeli hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin told CBS News that the video depicts a long pattern of punishment that Hamas uses against suspected collaborators with Israel. 

“Hamas is killing them because they can,” Baskin told CBS News this week. “Hamas is a criminal organization that has ruled the Palestinian people in Gaza for almost 20 years. This is not a democratic, liberal regime.”

Baskin also explained that Palestinian militia groups that are opposed to Hamas had been armed by Israel during the war in an effort to weaken Hamas’ power.

“Israel has empowered, with weapons and money, gangs of Palestinians who were involved in mostly illegal activities in the past — selling drugs, illegal smuggling — and they’ve empowered them as an alternative to Hamas,” Baskin said. “This is not sustainable.”

Last week, Mr. Trump acknowledged reports that Hamas was engaged in violence against rival Palestinian groups but appeared to downplay them as a concern.

“They did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad gangs, very, very bad,” Mr. Trump said of Hamas while speaking with reporters Tuesday. “And that didn’t bother me much, to be honest with you.”

Hamas’ role in Gaza’s future remains murky. Israel has demanded that Hamas disarm. The U.S.-brokered peace plan calls for it to relinquish its governance of the Palestinian territory to a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza.” But Hamas has been quick to reassert itself, making clear that it has retain some power and organization despite Israel’s efforts to destroy it.

On Monday, Mr. Trump and world leaders signed onto the U.S.-brokered agreement designed to bring a halt to the two-year Israel-Hamas war.

As part of the deal, Hamas released 20 living hostages, while Israel released about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Israel also pulled its troops back to a preapproved line in Gaza.

The deal also calls for Hamas to release the remains of 28 deceased hostages, but so far it has only released the remains of 10 of those. Another two bodies were released by Hamas Saturday, but they are pending identification.

According to the Associated Press, Israel has so far returned to Gaza the bodies of 135 Palestinians as part of the agreement.