White House sends angry message to Israel over killing of Hamas commander

President Trump was frustrated at an Israeli operation to kill a top Hamas commander without giving the US prior notice, fearing it could disrupt a fragile ceasefire in Gaza that he considers one of his major achievements, US officials and a person familiar with the matter said.

On Saturday, Israel killed Raed Saad, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing and one of the alleged architects of the Oct. 7 attacks. The attack in Gaza City killed four people in total. US officials said the Israeli government didn’t notify or consult the US ahead of the strike.

The White House sent a stern private message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that the killing of a top Hamas military commander over the weekend constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Trump.

The angry message from the White House comes amid growing tensions between the Trump administration and the Netanyahu government around the next phase of the agreement to end the war in Gaza and over Israel’s broader regional policy.

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, according to the two US officials.

President Trump said on Monday that the US is “looking into” whether Israel violated the Gaza ceasefire, but stressed at the same time that his relations with Netanyahu are good. Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump in Mar-a-Lago on December 29.

“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.

An Israeli official confirmed the White House was unhappy but claimed the message was milder — that “certain Arab countries” consider it a ceasefire violation. According to the US officials, the White House was unequivocal that Israel had violated the ceasefire.

The Israeli government told the Trump administration it was Hamas that had violated the agreement by attacking soldiers and resuming the smuggling of weapons, according to the Israeli official.

“The killing of Raed Saad, an arch-terrorist who worked day in and day out to violate the agreement and renew the fighting, was carried out in response to these violations and was intended to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire,” the Israeli official said.