This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The Epoch Times Reprints.
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025. Win McNamee/Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 29 that the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, brokered earlier in October by Washington, remains in place despite fresh Israeli airstrikes across the enclave.
The comments came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered military strikes in the Gaza Strip, saying that the Hamas terrorist group had breached the cease-fire agreement.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the military struck 30 people holding command positions within the terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip, after an attack by Hamas terrorists killed one Israeli soldier.
Trump has repeatedly warned Hamas to not violate the agreement and has said his administration is carefully monitoring the terrorist group’s actions. Israel maintains that its security policy remains entirely under its own control and that it will not tolerate attacks.
On Oct. 29, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Israel “should hit back” when its troops come under attack.
“As I understand it, they took out an Israeli soldier,” Trump said. “So, the Israelis hit back, and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back.”
Trump said he remains confident that the recent escalation will not jeopardize the cease-fire.
“Hamas is a very small part of the overall Middle East peace,“ he said. ”And they have to behave. They said they would be good. If they are good, they are going to be happy. And if they are not good, they are going to be terminated.”
The IDF also said on Oct. 29 that Israel will “continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement,” noting that any violations would be met with a firm response.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said that while Israel remains committed to the cease-fire, Hamas is repeatedly violating the agreement.
Marmorstein told reporters on Oct. 29 that Hamas has continued to open fire on Israeli forces and to manipulate the process for returning the bodies of Israeli hostages. He said the group’s actions were aimed at preventing the Trump peace plan from moving forward, since the plan requires Hamas to disarm.
“Hamas is trying to do everything possible to avoid this,” Marmorstein said.
Cease-Fire Tested
The Oct. 28 strikes were the latest test for the Gaza cease-fire agreed to on Oct. 10. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said in a post on Telegram that 104 people were killed in the latest Israeli strikes, bringing the total number of deaths to 211 since the cease-fire took effect.
The figure does not distinguish between combatants and civilians and includes some deaths from natural causes. The Epoch Times cannot verify these figures.
The cease-fire agreement requires Hamas to return all Israeli hostages—both living and deceased—before reconstruction efforts can begin.
While all 20 living hostages have been released, the bodies of 13 deceased hostages remain in the Gaza Strip. Israeli officials say Hamas is withholding them despite knowing their locations. Hamas has denied that accusation, saying that the widespread destruction across the Gaza Strip has made locating remains extremely difficult.
The IDF on Oct. 28 released drone footage that it said showed Hamas members moving human remains from one site to another and reburying them before notifying the Red Cross. The IDF alleged that Hamas had staged the recovery of the bodies to manipulate international monitoring efforts.
The Israeli government said the partial remains, later identified as those of hostage Ofir Tzarfati, were returned.
Netanyahu’s office stated on Oct. 27 that the return of Tzarfati’s partial remains “constitutes a clear violation of the agreement by the Hamas terrorist organization.”
On Oct. 28, Israeli security forces killed three Hamas terrorists in the West Bank near the city of Jenin, according to Israeli police. Israeli authorities said they were planning attacks in the area and were shot after emerging from a cave.
Hamas said two of the men were its members and that all three had died in a clash with Israeli forces.
Over the weekend, the IDF said it carried out an airstrike against members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group. According to the IDF, they were planning new attacks from within the Gaza Strip.
On Oct. 19, Israel said it had targeted several positions across the territory after its forces came under fire from gunmen and an anti-tank missile near the southern city of Rafah. Hamas denied involvement, saying that its members had not been active in the Rafah area since March.
Evgenia Filimianova is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of international stories, with a particular interest in foreign policy, economy, and UK politics.
