WASHINGTON

The White House sent “stern” private messages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressing that an Israeli strike in Gaza constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Donald Trump, according to a report on Monday.

Sources speaking to Axios said the message followed Israel’s killing of Raed Saad, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing, in a strike in Gaza City over the weekend that killed four people in total.

According to the report, a senior US official said the White House message to Netanyahu was, “If you want to ruin your reputation and show that you don’t abide by agreements be our guest, but we won’t allow you to ruin President Trump’s reputation after he brokered the deal in Gaza.”

US officials reportedly said the Israeli government did not notify or consult Washington ahead of the attack.

In a televised speech, Hamas chief in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya confirmed that Saad lost his life in the Israeli attack.

Saad was the target of several Israeli assassination attempts until he lost his life in an airstrike on Saturday.

The attack came despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in Gaza on Oct. 10.

The Israeli army has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, killing at least 391 Palestinians and injuring 1,063 others since the deal.

Israel has killed more than 70,600 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,100 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023, which have continued despite the truce.