U.S. scrambles to save Gaza peace deal amid new clashes

Israel conducted airstrikes in Gaza on Sunday after Hamas militants fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli soldiers, the IDF said in a statement. Why it matters: The clashes were the most serious escalation since the ceasefire came into force. The Trump administration is trying to prevent further incidents that could lead to the collapse of the agreement."We knew this was brewing. And the longer these guys are allowed to attack each other, the more they're going to attack each other," a senior Trump administration official told Axios. Driving the news: The IDF said the incident happened on Sunday morning local time when Hamas militants came out of a tunnel in the Rafah area, which is still mostly controlled by the Israeli military, and launched an anti-tank missile at an IDF vehicle. In response to the incident the IDF conducted around 20 air strikes against Hamas targets in the Rafah area and in other parts of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed in a statement that Hamas has violated the ceasefire and vowed a strong response. The other side: Hamas' military wing denied any involvement in the incident in Rafah, and emphasized it is fully committed to the ceasefire. "We are not aware of any incidents or clashes taking place in the Rafah area, because these are zones under Israeli control, and contact has been severed with our groups that remained there," Hamas' military wing said in a statement. Behind the scenes: Israel notified the Trump administration in advance of the strikes through the U.S. command center that oversees the ceasefire, U.S. and Israeli officials said. Trump's envoy's Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a call with Israeli minister Ron Dermer and other officials to coordinate and discuss next steps, a U.S. official said. The U.S. official said the U.S urged Israel to "respond proportionately but show restraint." The U.S. told Israel the focus should be on isolating Hamas for its violations and actions and moving fast towards creating an alternative for Hamas in Gaza, rather than resuming the war."Nobody wants to go back to full-scale war. The Israelis want to show Hamas there are consequences, without ruining the peace agreement," the U.S. official added. The big picture: The agreement to end the war in Gaza is a major diplomatic achievement for President Trump. The administration feels the situation is so tenuous that only strong oversight will keep the fragile peace.The Trump administration will significantly increase its control of implementing Gaza's peace deal to make sure it doesn't fall apart, U.S. officials say."The next 30 days are going to be critical," a U.S. official said. "We are now in charge of what's going on in Gaza when it comes to the implementation of the deal. We are going to be calling the shots."Between the lines: One U.S. official said the clashes on Sunday are exactly the kind of incidents they have been concerned about and expecting during the current transition period. A second U.S. official said that since Trump's visit to the region last week, both Hamas and Israel have taken actions that raised concerns about moving forward with the implementation.Hamas started reconstituting its power in Gaza and conducted deadly retaliations against its rivals.The Israelis issued several threats to suspend the implementation of the deal over what they claim is "slow-walking" by Hamas in returning the bodies of deceased hostages. There were incidents where the IDF killed Palestinian civilians along the line of contact."The situation is still really touch-and-go," the U.S. official said. "Hamas, or whatever's left of them, thought it was going to be business as usual. And the Israelis kind of did, too. So we have to not let them fail. The Gulf states feel the same way."What to watch: Vice President Vance, Witkoff and Kushner are set to arrive in Israel this week to push for the implementation of the next phase in the agreement. Witkoff and Kushner will focus on:Stabilizing the ceasefire to allow the transition to the next phase of the agreement to take place. Continuing the return of the bodies of deceased hostages. Regulating the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and resolving problems between Israel and the U.N. to ensure Hamas can't seize and profit from aid shipments. Establishing an international stabilization force that'll deploy in Gaza and help maintain security.Working on plans for the construction of the "New Rafah" as a model for a Gaza not under Hamas rule. They're also working on a plan to disarm Hamas and demilitarize Gaza.Reality check: One senior U.S. official said that "now the real work begins." The official stressed that for the process to succeed, there's a need for "people who know how to run a municipality, how to build a water-sewer plant and run it. Local government people. It's a huge challenge."The challenge is even bigger because so much of Gaza is rubble. "Just moving the debris will be hard," the official said. Another key problem is how to allow concrete into Gaza while preventing it from falling into the hands of Hamas, which has used the raw materials for "terror tunnels," one of the officials said. The bottom line: A U.S. official said that if Hamas further violates the ceasefire, the U.S. could support Israeli moves to regain control over parts of Gaza — to give more Palestinians in Gaza the ability to be in areas not under Hamas control.

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