Scoop: White House scolded Netanyahu for violating Gaza ceasefire with strike

The White House sent a stern private message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressing that the killing of a top Hamas military commander over the weekend constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Trump, two U.S. officials tell Axios. Why it matters: The angry message from the White House comes amid growing tensions between the Trump administration and the Netanyahu government around the next phase of the agreement to end the war in Gaza and over Israel's broader regional policy.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner have become very frustrated with Netanyahu, according to the two U.S. officials. Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump in Mar-a-Lago on December 29. Driving the news: On Saturday, Israel killed Raed Saad, the deputy commander of Hamas' military wing and one of the alleged architects of the Oct. 7 attacks. The attack in Gaza City killed four people in total.U.S. officials said the Israeli government didn't notify or consult the U.S. ahead of the strike. Behind the scenes: "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," a senior U.S. official said.An Israeli official confirmed the White House was unhappy but claimed the message was milder — that "certain Arab countries" consider it a ceasefire violation. According to the U.S. officials, the White House was unequivocal that Israel had violated the ceasefire. The other side: The Israeli government told the Trump administration it was Hamas that had violated the agreement by attacking soldiers and resuming the smuggling of weapons, according to the Israeli official."The killing of Raed Saad, an arch-terrorist who worked day in and day out to violate the agreement and renew the fighting, was carried out in response to these violations and was intended to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire," the Israeli official said.The White House and the Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment.State of play: This was just the latest in a string of flare-ups between the White House and the Netanyahu government. In Syria: The Trump administration feels Netanyahu's cross-border attacks are undercutting U.S. efforts to help the al-Sharaa government stabilize the country, and undermining the goal of reaching a new security agreement between Syria and Israel. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack visits Israel on Monday for talks with Netanyahu on this issue. In the West Bank: A senior U.S. official and a source with knowledge said the White House is growing increasingly concerned about settler violence against Palestinians and what it sees as Israeli provocations. They think Israel's policies create an atmosphere the harms the White House efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, especially with Saudi Arabia. "The U.S. doesn't ask Netanyahu to compromise Israel's security. We ask him not take steps that are perceived in the Arab world as provocations," the U.S. official said. In Gaza: The White House thinks Netanyahu is being short-sighted on many issues, especially when it comes to moving to the peace deal's second phase — which requires Israeli troops to pull farther back. President Trump told Netanyahu in a recent phone call that he needs to be a "better partner" on Gaza. "Steve and Jared are pissed by Israeli inflexibility around several Gaza related issues," a U.S. official said, referring to Witkoff and Kushner.The big picture: The White House wants to move on from the war in Gaza to repairing ties between Israel and the Arab world and expanding the Abraham Accords. But leaders around the region deeply distrust Netanyahu and have wide-ranging objections to engaging with him, according to U.S. officials.For example, a U.S. effort to help Netanyahu organize a meeting with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has been met with strong Egyptian opposition. Netanyahu and Sisi have not spoken since the war in Gaza began."Netanyahu has turned over the last two years to a global pariah. He should ask himself why Sisi refuses to meet him and why five years after the Abraham Accords he still hasn't been invited to visit the UAE," a U.S. official said. "The Trump administration is doing a lot of hard work to fix it. But if Netanyahu doesn't want to take the steps that are needed to de-escalate, we are not going to waste our time on trying to expand the Abraham Accords."