Trump says US reviewing whether Israel violated Gaza ceasefire

The US administration is reviewing whether Israel breached the Gaza ceasefire following a deadly strike on a senior Hamas commander Raed Saad, President Donald Trump said on Monday, dismissing reports that he had insulted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "false".

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said the United States was examining whether the attack had constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement brokered by his administration, adding that Washington was committed to moving towards the second phase of the deal.

Trump also said that 59 countries were ready to participate in an international stabilisation force for Gaza, claiming that such a force was already operating "in one way or another", without providing further details.

The comments came amid reports that the White House had privately warned Netanyahu over Israel's continued violations of the ceasefire, which have worsened Gaza's already dire humanitarian situation, now compounded by Storm Byron.

US officials told Axios that the administration had sent messages to Netanyahu warning him against further breaches following the killing of Saad on Saturday.

One official was quoted as saying the White House told Netanyahu: "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."

Trump denied reports in Israeli media that he had directed a barrage of insults at Netanyahu over the strike, insisting instead that he maintained a good relationship with both Israel and its prime minister.

"I have a good relationship with Israel and with Bibi Netanyahu," Trump said, adding that they had worked closely together on weakening Iran. He said his relations across the Middle East were broadly positive.

Despite the ceasefire, Israeli attacks have continued across Gaza. The New Arab's Arabic-language sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Monday that Israeli air strikes and shelling had targeted Khan Younis and areas east of Rafah, as well as locations east of Gaza City.

The Axios report also said the White House was increasingly frustrated with Israeli policy in Syria, which US officials believe was undermining Washington's efforts to support the Syrian government, as well as in the occupied West Bank, where settler violence and Israeli government actions are viewed as provocative.

Storm Byron deepens Gaza's humanitarian crisis

Meanwhile, Gaza's humanitarian crisis has continued to deteriorate as Storm Byron batters the enclave. At least 14 people have been killed as a result of the storm, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said on Monday.

MAP's finance assistant, Summer, who is based in Deir al-Balah, said that rainwater had flooded tented displacement camps.

"Rainwater had pooled everywhere, and people are struggling as they try to take their belongings out of the tents after they were flooded," she said.

"At the same time, they were attempting to dig simple channels by hand to prevent more water from accumulating, under extremely harsh conditions with no real protection from the winter."

MAP said 12 buildings had collapsed since the storm began after being structurally weakened by Israel's bombardment.

Two more collapsed on Tuesday, including a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City on Monday evening and another on al-Shifa Street west of Gaza City, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Gaza's civil defence warned that thousands of homes were at risk of collapse due to the storm. It has also called for more bulldozers to be allowed into the enclave to speed up the search for missing Palestinians.

Around 9,500 people are believed to remain buried under rubble, with 45 bodies recovered from a single building on Monday, according to Al Jazeera.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that winter conditions were increasing the risk of hypothermia among newborns, saying it is preparing preventative kits for distribution across Gaza.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli raids continued on Monday, with forces entering multiple locations including Tubas and the nearby town of Tammun, according to Wafa.

Additional raids were reported in Tuqu south of Bethlehem, Jenin, Ramallah and Nablus. Israeli forces also shot a Palestinian in the knee in the town of ar-Ram near Jerusalem.

Settler attacks also continued as a family of five was assaulted in the al-Auja area near Jericho on Monday night, with all five taken to hospital, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

Settlers also attacked Palestinian homes in Khirbet Arriba al-Nabi and Khirbet Tel Ma’in in Masafer Yatta.

Separately, Israel's approval of 19 new settlements in the West Bank drew condemnation from Qatar, which said the move constituted a "blatant infringement on the rights of the Palestinian people".