“Either way, it’s going to be handled properly. It’s going to be handled toughly, but properly,” added Trump.
“As you know, they’ve been quite rambunctious. They’ve been doing some shooting, and we think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that.”
Vice President Vance similarly downplayed the impact of the attacks and subsequent airstrikes on the ceasefire, saying: “We think that it has the best chance for a sustainable peace.
“But even if it does that, it’s going to have hills and valleys, and we’re going to have to monitor the situation.”
Israel, meanwhile, confirmed its “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” on Monday, saying it would “continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and… respond forcefully to any violation”.
Offering some further context, a security official reportedly told Channel 12: “Israel does not want to bring about the collapse of the ceasefire… There is simply a straightforward equation of a violation and a response — and this will continue as long as Hamas keeps violating the agreement.”
For its part, Hamas denied attacking soldiers, accusing Jerusalem of “violating the deal and fabricating pretexts to justify its crimes”.
A spokesperson insisted that the group “remains committed to the ceasefire agreement”.