President Donald Trump was consulted by Israel before the country launched a series of attacks against Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip, the White House said.
‘The Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis on their attacks on Gaza tonight. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
And she had a word of warning.
‘As President Trump has made clear – Hamas, the Houthis, Iran – all those who seek to terrorize, not just Israel but the United States of America, will see a price to pay,’ she said, adding: ‘All hell will break loose.’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (left) said President Donald Trump was consulted by Israeli before it launched its attack on Hamas in Gaza
The attack killed more than 400 people, according to Palestinian authorities. The move threatened to return the region to full scale war after talks to release the remaining hostages failed.
Trump had previously issued a similar warning, saying Hamas should release all hostages in Gaza or ‘let hell break out.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the attacks after Hamas failed to release the hostages or accept U.S. proposals for a permanent ceasefire.
‘From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force,’ the prime minister’s office said.
Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official said Israel had unilaterally overturned the ceasefire agreement, indicating all-out fighting could return soon.
And the group warned that Israel’s return to war has imposed a ‘death sentence’ on the remaining hostages held captive in Gaza.
The strikes were by far the biggest and deadliest since a truce took effect in January. Hamas has not responded to the strikes so far.
Hamas said the head of its government in Gaza, Issam al-Da’alis, along with several other senior officials, was killed in the strikes.
Among those killed was Mohammad Al-Jmasi, a senior member of Hamas’ political office, and members of his family – including his grandchildren who were in his house in Gaza City when it was hit by an air strike, Hamas sources and relatives said.
It also named Mahmoud Abu Wafah, the highest-ranking Hamas security official in Gaza, and senior officials Ahmed al-Hatta and Abu Sultan among the deceased.
Smoke billows behind a cemetery during Israeli strikes west of Gaza City on March 18, 2025
This picture was shared in the aftermath of the extensive Israeli air strikes on Gaza
Meanwhile, the US launched new airstrikes over the weekend targeting the Houthis in Yemen in retaliation for its attacks on shipping. At least 53 people were reported killed.
The Houthis, in response, said on Tuesday they carried out their third attack on American warships in 48 hours, following US strikes on the Iran-backed rebels that sparked mass protests in areas under their control.
The group claimed they fired missiles and drones at the USS Harry S. Truman, calling it the ‘third in the past 48 hours’ on the fleet in the northern Red Sea.
But a U.S. defense official said the Houthis ‘continue to communicate lies and disinformation’, adding the Iran-backed group is ‘well known for false claims minimising the results of our attacks while exaggerating the successes of theirs’.
US Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich told reporters it was ‘hard to confirm’ the attacks claimed by the Houthis as the rebels were missing their targets ‘by over 100 miles.’
Trump on Monday warned Iran would ‘suffer the consequences’ for any further Houthi attacks, threatening to widen the conflict further.
