Israel was in lockstep with President Donald Trump when it launched widespread airstrikes on Gaza, the White House said, in what looked like the fulfillment of Trump’s “last warning” to Hamas earlier this month of “all hell to pay” if its remaining hostages were not released.
“The Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza tonight,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News hours after Israel’s volley of attacks.
The wave of airstrikes pummeled wide swaths of Gaza, killing more than 400 people, according to local health officials, and potentially shattering the already-fragile ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Israel claimed it launched the strikes to force Hamas to release the remaining hostage. But that demand falls outside the ceasefire agreement as it stands, of which negotiations on the next phase of the deal have not yet begun.
More: Israeli military launches ‘extensive’ strikes in Gaza, jeopardizing ceasefire deal
“As of this morning, Israel is operating with full force against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip,” Oren Marmorstein, a spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, said on X.
Hamas said that because the U.S. was informed by Israel of the strikes ahead of time, it “bears full responsibility” for the attacks.
Trump’s ‘last warning’ to Hamas?
Tuesday’s strikes came less than two weeks after Trump, in the wake of a meeting with former Israeli hostages, gave what he called his “last warning” to Hamas to release every last hostage or “it is OVER for you.”
Related: ‘Hell to pay’: Trump issues ‘last warning’ to Hamas. Here is what may be next for Israel and Gaza
“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” he posted to Truth Social on March 5.
It was not the first time Trump had threatened Hamas with an ultimatum, and, like past threats, raised questions about what more Trump could do to exert pressure on the militant group – 15 months of Israel’s attacks have already flattened Gaza and killed more than 47,000 of its residents, yet Hamas remains in power. Those hostages were kidnapped by Hamas when it attacked Israel’s border communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 Israelis.
Leavitt did not say outright that the airstrikes represented Trump following through on his threat. But, quipping the language from his Truth Social post, she said “all hell will break loose” on Iran and the militias it backs throughout the region, including Hamas and the Houthis in Yemen, against which the Trump administration launched ongoing airstrikes over the weekend.
More: They support Palestinians in Gaza. But what do Yemen’s Houthi rebels really want?
The White House declined to say whether the airstrikes were the follow through from Trump’s last warning. “Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.
Is the Trump-touted ceasefire deal now on the rocks?
Trump had proudly touted the role of his administration, including his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, in securing the mid-January ceasefire deal days before he was sworn into office.
As part of the first 6-week phase of the deal, the fighting in Gaza was paused and Hamas agreed to release 33 of its hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in its jails.
But in recent weeks, the deal appeared on the edge of dissolution as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Trump’s backing, demanded Hamas immediately release the remaining hostages before the next round of negotiations planned had begun. Netanyahu refused to release the next 620 Palestinian prisoners he agreed to let go over what he called humiliating Hamas hostage release ceremonies and the emaciated appearance of some of the hostages. Earlier this month, Israel blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, prompting an outcry from human rights groups.
Trump has signaled that he will follow Netanyahu’s lead, and any restrictions imposed by former President Joe Biden on U.S. support for Israel’s military are off the table.
More: The Israel-Hamas ceasefire appears to be holding steady. Does Trump deserve credit?
Biden held up the delivery of 2,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs to Israel over fears their use could have devastating humanitarian consequences as Israel prepared to strike densely populated areas in southern Gaza. In his first week in office, Trump wiped away the ban, and Israel said last month that it had received a shipment of the bombs.
At a joint news conference during Netanyahu’s visit to the White House last month, Trump also announced that Palestinians in Gaza would be forced into neighboring countries as the U.S. takes “long-term ownership position” of the enclave. Although Trump at the time didn’t rule out U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza, the White House later backtracked, saying it had not committed to sending troops.
Sudan rejected a U.S. proposal to resettle Palestinians displaced from Gaza, Reuters reported last week.
