Israel says it will respond to Hamas truce ‘violation’
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would retaliate after a military officer was injured in an explosion in the Gaza Strip, Hamas denied responsibility and claimed that the explosive was left over from the conflict.
In his speech at the Air Force pilots’ graduation ceremony, Netanyahu mentioned the incident in Rafah, part of the area where Israeli forces still operate, and said Hamas had made clear it had no plans to disarm as envisaged in the October ceasefire agreement.
“Israel will respond accordingly,” he said.
The Israeli army had previously announced that an explosive device exploded on a military vehicle in the Rafah region and a police officer was slightly injured.
Hamas said the incident took place in an area where the Israeli army is fully under control and reiterated its commitment to the October 10 ceasefire, warning that explosives remained in the area and elsewhere since the war.
Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said in an earlier post on channel X that mediators had been briefed on the issue.
The 20-point plan, published by US President Donald Trump in September, calls for steps towards a broader peace after the initial ceasefire.
So far, only the first phase has come into effect, which includes a ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners, and a partial Israeli withdrawal.
Netanyahu’s office said later on Wednesday that an Israeli delegation met in Cairo on Wednesday with officials from mediating countries to discuss efforts to return the remains of police officer Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage in the Gaza Strip.
The delegation included officials from the Israeli army, the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency and the Mossad intelligence agency.
Trump’s plan ultimately calls for the disarmament of Hamas, no governing role in the region, and Israel’s withdrawal.
Hamas has said it will hand over weapons only if a Palestinian state is established, while Israel says it will never allow that.
Violence has decreased but not stopped since the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip came into force, with the sides regularly accusing each other of violations.
Gaza’s health ministry said Israel killed more than 400 people in the region, while Israel announced that three soldiers were killed in militant attacks.
Netanyahu said Hamas “has clearly declared that it has no intention of disarmament, completely contradicting President Trump’s 20-point plan.”
Netanyahu will meet with Trump next week, mainly to discuss the next phase of the US president’s plan for the Gaza Strip.
Hamas said late Wednesday that a delegation led by its chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya had discussed the Gaza Strip issue with Türkiye’s foreign minister in Ankara.
Al-Hayya warned against what he described as continued Israeli ceasefire violations, saying they were aimed at preventing the transition to the next phase of the ceasefire agreement.
