Hamas Threatens Ceasefire Collapse As IDF Responds to Gunfire on Yellow Line, Strikes Kill Senior Terror Officials

Hamas escalated its warnings on Saturday, threatening to end the ceasefire after the IDF intercepted repeated attempts by terrorists to breach Gaza’s Yellow Line and responded with airstrikes. The developments, reported by both Al Arabiya and The Times of Israel, unfolded amid rising friction over what Israel says are Hamas attacks on its troops during the fragile truce.

Sources cited by Saudi state-owned Al Arabiya claimed Hamas told US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that the ceasefire could be considered void, saying, “The agreement is over and [Hamas] is ready to fight,” and insisting that the pause must be genuinely mutual, adding, “Gaza will not become another Lebanon.”

Hamas later denied reports that it had informed Witkoff the truce was finished. Senior Hamas figure Mousa Abu Marzook told Al Jazeera Mubasher the terror organization had not declared the ceasefire ended.

American officials acknowledged to Walla that Hamas has not fully abandoned the deal but has warned it cannot tolerate more Israeli strikes. One source said Hamas declared, “It is better for us to fight and let a thousand be killed by fire under Israeli attacks than by inaction,” while also stressing that “Gaza will not be Lebanon for them.”

Meanwhile, The Times of Israel reported that the Trump administration backs Israel’s response to gunfire on its troops earlier Saturday, which led to IDF strikes that the Prime Minister’s Office said killed five senior Hamas operatives. In total, the Hamas-run Civil Defense in Gaza claimed 21 fatalities, though its figures are unverified and do not distinguish combatants from civilians.

The PMO accused Hamas of repeatedly dispatching terrorists to attack Israeli forces despite the ceasefire.

The day’s escalation began when a Palestinian terrorist crossed the Yellow Line in southern Gaza using a vehicle along the humanitarian corridor through which aid enters the Strip. The IDF said the attacker opened fire on soldiers without causing injuries. Troops from the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade shot him dead. The IDF published footage of the incident and called it a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

Following the attack, and under Shin Bet direction, the IDF began striking Hamas sites across the Gaza Strip.

Additional tensions mounted as Lebanese outlet Al Mayadeen reported that Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya was en route to Cairo with a delegation to coordinate with Arab states. The purpose of the trip, according to the report, was to bolster the Palestinian position, though it was unclear whether the ceasefire crisis would be addressed.

Earlier Saturday, Al Arabiya claimed an IDF strike killed Abu Abdullah Al-Hudaydi, the Operations Staff Commander of the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades. The IDF has not confirmed the report.

Alongside the five senior terrorists the PMO said were eliminated, the IDF reported killing five additional operatives in the Rafah area. Those terrorists were part of a group of 17 who emerged from a tunnel on Friday. After a 24-hour search, 11 were killed and six arrested. The detainees have been transferred to Shin Bet for interrogation.

In northern Gaza, the IDF killed two of four terrorists who approached troops after crossing the Yellow Line. The fate of the remaining two terrorists was not disclosed.

On Friday, 15 terrorists attempted to flee a tunnel within the Yellow Line; five were arrested, other were killed. There were around 200 terrorists trapped in tunnels under IDF control.