Hamas Declares Ceasefire “Over,” Vows to Resume Fight in Message to US Envoys

The fragile truce in Gaza has officially collapsed. In a direct message delivered to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and senior White House advisor Jared Kushner, Hamas leadership has formally notified the United States that the ceasefire agreement with Israel is “over” and that its forces are “ready to fight.”
The breakdown comes less than six weeks after the landmark October 10 accord was signed, a deal that President Donald Trump had hailed as a breakthrough for regional stability. According to diplomatic sources briefed on the exchange, Hamas officials cited repeated Israeli violations of the “Yellow Line”—the demilitarized buffer zone separating IDF-controlled northern Gaza from Hamas-held territories in the south—as the primary cause for the resumption of hostilities.
“The agreement is over,” a senior Hamas source told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya shortly after the message was relayed to Washington. “The occupation has completely abandoned the terms of the first phase, and we will not be spectators to the slaughter of our people while adhering to a truce that exists only on paper.”
Tensions reached a boiling point over the weekend following a series of deadly incidents. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had launched a wave of airstrikes in Khan Younis, eliminating five senior Hamas operatives who it claimed were attempting to infiltrate the Israeli-controlled “Green Zone.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement accusing Hamas of “flagrantly violating” the agreement by deploying armed cells into demilitarized sectors.
Conversely, Hamas’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, accused Israel of using the ceasefire as a cover to entrench its military presence. He pointed to the IDF’s refusal to withdraw from key corridors and the continued blockade of humanitarian aid as evidence of bad faith. “We received guarantees from the Americans that the war had ended,” al-Hayya stated. “Those guarantees have evaporated under Israeli fire.”
The collapse of the deal is a significant diplomatic blow to the Trump administration, which had invested heavily in the “20-point plan” to stabilize the enclave. The framework had envisioned a transition to an international peacekeeping force and the gradual disarmament of Palestinian factions—goals that now appear unreachable.
On the ground, the reality of war has returned with immediate ferocity. Reports from Gaza City indicate renewed rocket fire targeting Israeli border communities, while Israeli jets have resumed sorties over Rafah. The United Nations has warned that the “Yellow Line,” intended to be a corridor for aid and safety, is actively dissolving into a new frontline.