Israel and Gaza ceasefire deal in jeopardy after IDF missile strikes | World | News
The fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced its first major test when an Israeli security official said aid flows into the region had been halted “until further notice” following a ceasefire violation by Hamas. The move comes just over a week after the United States began a ceasefire aimed at ending the two-year war.
The Israeli military said early Sunday that its soldiers came under fire from Hamas militants in southern Gaza. At least 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in central and southern Gaza, health officials said. The Israeli military said it hit dozens of what it called Hamas targets. A senior Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire negotiations said contacts were continuing “24 hours a day” to de-escalate the situation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to take “strong action” against ceasefire violations but did not threaten to return to war.
The Israeli army said militants opened fire on troops in Israeli-controlled areas of the city of Rafah, in line with agreed ceasefire lines. No injuries were reported. Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery, the army said.
Hamas, which continued to accuse Israel of violating multiple ceasefires, said that communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and that “we are not responsible for any incidents that occur in these areas.”
Shortly before sunset, the Israeli military said it launched a series of airstrikes on what it called Hamas targets in southern Gaza. He also said his forces shot “terrorists” who approached troops in Beit Lahiya in the north.
At least six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a makeshift coffeehouse in the central Gaza town of Zawaida, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government.
In another attack, at least two people were killed near the Al-Ahly football club in the Nuseyrat refugee camp. Al-Awda Hospital, where the injured were located, said that a tent was hit in the attack and eight people were injured.
The hospital also said that the bodies of four people killed in the attack on a school hosting displaced families in Nuseyrat were received, as well as the body of one person killed in the attack on an attack point in the west of Nuseyrat.
Another attack hit a tent in the Muwasi district of Khan Younis in the south, killing at least four people, including a woman and two children, according to Nasser Hospital.
According to Shifa hospital, two people died in the attack in Beit Lahiya.
Israel on Saturday pressured Hamas to fulfill its ceasefire role of returning the remains of 28 dead hostages, saying the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would remain closed “until further notice”.
Hamas said the devastation of the war and Israel’s military control of certain parts of Gaza had slowed the handover process. Israel believes Hamas has access to more bodies than it returns.
In the statement made by Hamas, it was stated that a Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement with mediators and other Palestinian groups.
The next phases are expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israel’s withdrawal from other areas it controls in Gaza, and the future administration of the devastated region.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem said late Saturday that the second phase of the talks “requires national consensus.” He said Hamas had begun talks to “consolidate its positions.”
The US plan proposes the establishment of an internationally supported authority to govern Gaza.
