U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Washington is “looking into” whether Israel violated the Gaza ceasefire by carrying out a targeted strike that killed senior Hamas commander Raad Saad over the weekend.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said the United States was examining the circumstances surrounding the killing of Saad, who was considered Hamas’ second-in-command in Gaza.
“My relationship with Bibi is very good,” Trump said, dismissing reports of tension with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We took Iran out of the game, and because of that we can make peace. We have a good relationship with everyone in the Middle East.”
Trump’s remarks came amid reported dissatisfaction in Washington over the strike. U.S. officials conveyed to Israel that they did not approve of the operation and view it as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
American officials have also expressed concern that the killing could complicate efforts to advance to the second phase of the ceasefire framework, an issue expected to be central in talks between Netanyahu and Trump later this month. A senior Israeli political source, however, said there remains “close coordination between Israel and the United States.”
The targeted killing of Saad, described by Israeli officials as Hamas’ No. 2 leader in Gaza and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre, was carried out Saturday at 2:49 p.m., based on intelligence guidance.
According to the report, Israel notified the United States of the strike at 3:09 p.m., after it had already been carried out. The timing deviated from procedures agreed upon between Jerusalem and Washington under the ceasefire framework, a move that Israeli officials understood could trigger U.S. anger.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strike was conducted in response to the detonation of an explosive device that wounded two Israeli reserve soldiers, who were lightly injured.
Security officials, however, stressed that the killing was not a direct response to a specific ceasefire violation in Khan Younis. They also noted that there were disagreements within Israel’s leadership over whether to carry out the strike, particularly given that Hamas had not yet returned the body of fallen hostage Sgt. Ran Gvili.
Despite the tensions, Trump publicly rejected claims of a rupture with Israel, emphasizing that ties with Netanyahu remain strong as the United States continues to navigate efforts to sustain the ceasefire and shape the next phase of negotiations.