President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Hamas, vowing to eradicate the group if the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire collapses. During a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Trump emphasized that 59 countries support the truce and warned that any violence would face decisive action.
While details of Vance’s trip to Israel have yet to be announced, Washington’s diplomacy is extending beyond Jerusalem, as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to travel to Egypt from Israel for talks with Hamas representatives, underscoring a push to move from preserving the ceasefire toward negotiating the more fraught next phase.
Trump’s comments come amid renewed tensions in Gaza, where the Israeli military has taken custody of another deceased hostage’s coffin. The IDF, in collaboration with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), has issued a joint statement asking the public to ‘act with sensitivity and wait for the official identification, which will first be provided to the families.’ The statement also warned that Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages.
Israeli officials have stated that Hamas could hand over six more bodies immediately out of the 15 still believed in Gaza, though some remains may be impossible to recover amid widespread destruction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in the Knesset, struck a hard line while stressing close U.S.–Israel coordination. He warned the fighting was far from over and said violations would carry a ‘very heavy price,’ while praising the ‘unprecedented closeness’ with Washington.
The IDF has also begun marking a so-called yellow line inside Gaza—3.5-meter concrete barriers topped by yellow poles placed roughly every 200 meters—to establish ‘tactical clarity on the ground’ as part of the ceasefire arrangement. The military said the marking will continue ‘in the coming period’ as forces work to remove threats and defend Israeli civilians.