US says Hamas is planning 'imminent' attack on Gaza civilians as latest returned October 7 hostage identified

Taking to X, the State Department said any attack "would constitute a direct and grave violation" of the agreement forged by Donald Trump to end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas.

The post did not include any details about the attack.

"Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire," the State Department said.

Read more: Two hostage bodies returned to Israel from Gaza as Red Cross convoy crosses border

Read more: Israeli forces shoot dead ten-year-old Palestinian boy

The president previously warned on social media that "if Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them".

He later clarified he will not send US troops into Gaza after the threat against Hamas.

"It's not going to be us," he told reporters. "We won't have to. There are people very close, very nearby, that will go in and they'll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices."

It comes as Israel confirmed the identity of one of the two dead hostages handed back by Hamas on Saturday.

The Israel Defence Forces said in a statement: "Following the completion of the identification process by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, IDF representatives informed the family of Ronen Tommy Engel that he had been returned for burial.

"Ronen Tommy Engel was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, 2023, when he went out to defend his family from terrorists, and his body was taken into the Gaza Strip. Ronen, 54 years old at the time of his death, was abducted from his home in Nir Oz.

"His death was pronounced on December 1st, 2023. He leaves behind a wife, three children, and a brother. His wife, Karina, and his two daughters, Mika and Yuval, were also abducted and returned as part of the hostage release agreement in November 2023."

Tensions are rising in Palestine amid fears Mr Trump’s ceasefire could collapse in the coming days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has ordered the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to remain closed until further notice, and said its reopening would be considered based on the return of the final hostage remains and the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

The crossing is vital for Palestinians who need medical and other humanitarian assistance.

Israel has stressed that Hamas must "uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the hostages".

Israel has reportedly killed dozens of Palestinians in the wake of last week’s ceasefire agreement.