Israel strikes ‘rocket launch site’ near Gaza City

The Israeli military says it has launched a targeted attack on a rocket launch site near Gaza City after detecting a failed launch, amid questions about when the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin.

The military said the projectile did not pass into Israeli territory and the launch site was hit shortly after the attempt was detected.

He accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire twice in the last 24 hours.

A source in the Palestinian militant group told Reuters he had checked the claim.

Further underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire agreement, local Palestinian health officials said two people, a woman and a man, were injured in two separate armed attacks carried out by Israeli forces in the southern and northern parts of the region on Thursday.

There was no comment from Israel regarding the report.

Israel is waiting for the final body to be delivered according to the current phase of the ceasefire.

An Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not move on to the next phase of the ceasefire until Hamas returns the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has not yet opened the Rafah border crossing between the strip and Egypt, another condition of the US-backed plan, and has said it will do so only after the remains are returned.

Israel and Hamas accuse each other of gross violations of the ceasefire agreement and remain distant on tougher steps envisaged for the next phase.

Israel continued to conduct air strikes and targeted operations in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said it viewed “with the utmost seriousness” any attempt by militant groups in the Gaza Strip to attack Israel.

A Hamas official told Reuters on Thursday that the group had documented more than 1,100 ceasefire violations by Israel since October and had called on mediators to intervene.

Violations include murders, injuries, artillery and air strikes, house demolitions and detention of people.

Israeli troops remain deployed in about half of the Gaza Strip, while Hamas has refused to disarm and is regaining control.

Israel announced that it would continue military operations if Hamas was not disarmed peacefully.

More than 400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza health officials as well as three Israeli soldiers.

According to Israeli figures, militants led by Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 people in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

More than 71,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, according to the regional health ministry.