This was precisely Israel’s concern going into the Trump-brokered Gaza ceasefire—that the world would expect Israel to halt all military activity while doing nothing to enforce Hamas compliance (beyond issuing toothless condemnations), thus allowing the terror group to reestablish and recuperate.

We’ve seen it before.

Over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces launched targeted operations across the Gaza Strip in response to multiple ceasefire violations by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Despite clear evidence that terrorists were exiting tunnels in Rafah and attempting to approach IDF forces near the southern “Yellow Line,” the response has drawn a coordinated rebuke—not toward the violators, but toward Israel.

In a joint statement on Sunday, foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey sharply criticized Israel’s actions, claiming they could “undermine efforts aimed at consolidating calm” and derail the second phase of the Trump administration’s proposed peace framework for Gaza.

The ministers called for “all parties” to show restraint and maintain the ceasefire “in order to create favorable conditions” for reconstruction and Palestinian statehood.

Ceasefire—or cover fire?

The IDF maintains that its actions remain within the framework of the ceasefire, with troops deployed in accordance with its terms and responding only to immediate threats.

On Saturday, the IDF struck four senior commanders and additional operatives from both Hamas and Islamic Jihad after they were observed emerging from terror tunnels. Additional strikes were carried out on weapons storage sites, rocket launch pads, and arms factories in central Gaza.

Sunday’s operations included the neutralization of a gunman who posed a direct threat to soldiers near the southern border. In a separate operation, Israeli forces uncovered and dismantled a massive tunnel complex in Khan Yunis, containing living quarters and a weapons cache that included:

• 10 rifles

• 45 grenades

• 35 ammunition magazines

• RPG launchers and rockets

• 10 IEDs

• Tactical gear and vests

Israeli officials have warned that Hamas is exploiting the current lull to rebuild military infrastructure and reestablish its brutal rule over Gaza. And Israel is again being asked to stand by and watch.

A familiar pattern

Critics within Israel note the pattern: ceasefires quickly become one-sided pauses, during which Hamas regroups under international protection while Israel is pressured to “exercise restraint.”

In the past, the IDF’s deterrence was constantly undermined by Western diplomats and Arab states who speak the language of peace while shielding the mechanics of terror. But in the wake of Oct. 7, Israelis are no longer willing to tolerate such a situation.

The Trump-era ceasefire deal, while touted as a breakthrough, was viewed with skepticism by many in Jerusalem—precisely because of what is now unfolding: international partners calling for calm while doing nothing to enforce compliance on the Palestinian side.

As a chorus of Israeli experts have stressed, the Trump plan for Gaza is doomed to failure if no one is willing or able to actually disarm Hamas, since the group has made quite clear it won’t voluntarily lay down its arms. And given that no other nation is willing to put its soldiers on Gaza battlefields, that job by necessity falls to the IDF.

What now?

With regional actors signaling displeasure and Hamas continuing to test the limits of the ceasefire, Israeli officials are again warning that a return to full-scale combat may be necessary if violations continue.

For now, Israel appears determined to uphold its security with or without diplomatic cover.

The message from Israel is clear: The ceasefire cannot become a suicide pact. Israel will no longer apologize for defending itself. And if others won’t enforce the terms of the deals they broker–Israel will.

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