Ceasefire unravels: Gaza sees deadly strikes; aid flows suspended

JERUSALEM — Israel launched air strikes on Gaza on Sunday following a Hamas attack on its forces; These attacks increased the death toll in the two-year war and shook a fragile US-brokered ceasefire that had brought some relief to the besieged region.

The day escalated into finger-pointing, with each side accusing the other of violating the agreement that President Trump said just six days ago would usher in a “golden age” of peace for the Middle East.

The ceasefire forced Israel to end a months-long blockade of the region, but Israel said on Sunday it had once again halted the flow of aid, potentially plunging Gaza into famine once again, despite aid groups clamoring for additional supplies to be trucked in.

Sunday’s strikes posed the strongest challenge yet to an uneasy ceasefire that took effect on October 10 after intense diplomacy (and pressure on warring parties) by Trump and a host of Arab and Islamic countries to halt the fighting and end a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and nearly flattened much of Gaza.

Palestinian health officials said smoke rising across the Gaza Strip was seen in live broadcasts on Sunday as Israeli warplanes hit several areas in Rafah, Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, killing at least 15 people. The Israeli army announced that one soldier and one officer were killed.

In a statement, the Israeli military accused the militant group Hamas of firing anti-tank missiles at troops in southern Gaza and called the attack a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.” The military added that it responded to “eliminate the threat and dismantle tunnel shafts and military structures used for terrorist activities.”

Later, news came from local media that Hamas had carried out dozens of attacks.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in his statement: “Hamas will pay a heavy price for every shot and every violation of the ceasefire.” “If the message is not understood, our reaction will become increasingly harsh.”

The Israel Defense Forces said the targets “included weapons storage facilities, infrastructure used for terrorist activities, firing points, terrorist cells, and additional terrorist infrastructure facilities.” [nearly 4 miles] “It targets the underground terrorist infrastructure using more than 120 ammunition.”

Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, denied any connection to the violence in Rafah, saying it was “not aware of any incidents or clashes taking place in the Rafah area” and that it had not contacted any fighters since March, when Israel previously broke a ceasefire.

Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq insisted that it was Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who continued to violate the agreement and produced “flimsy excuses to justify their crimes.”

“Netanyahu’s attempts to evade and reject his commitments are under pressure from the extremist terrorist coalition in an effort to evade his responsibilities towards mediators and guarantors,” Al-Risheq wrote on his Telegram messaging app channel.

Hamas said Israel had violated the ceasefire 47 times since the ceasefire began on October 10, killing 38 Palestinians and wounding 143 people.

Israeli twins Gali and Ziv Berman, recently released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, are welcomed home when they return from hospital in Beit Guvrin, Israel, on October 19, 2025.

(Ariel Schalit / Associated Press)

Since then, Hamas has handed over more than 20 live hostages it kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 operation that triggered the war; In return, Israel released more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Hamas also returned the bodies of 12 other hostages who died in captivity and said it was still searching for the remains of 16 other hostages.

The Qassam Brigades said in a statement later Sunday that it had recovered another body and would hand it over to Israel that day “if field conditions permit.” He added that any escalation would “impede the search, excavation and recovery of bodies.”

Israel still controls more than half of Gaza’s territory.

Sunday’s violence led to calls from Israeli leaders across the political spectrum for a return to the fight against Hamas. Netanyahu’s rival, Israeli politician Benny Gantz, said that “all options should be on the table.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the ultranationalist minister in the Netanyahu government who opposes any ceasefire with Hamas, said the war must continue with “maximum force”. His right-wing ally, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, tweeted one word: “War!”

Details on what led to the Israeli attack remained scant. Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported that the incident began at 10 a.m. when Hamas fighters emerged from a tunnel and fired an anti-tank missile at an engineer vehicle. This was followed by sniper fire on another vehicle.

However, a Palestinian channel seen close to Hamas on Telegram said that the target was a Palestinian militia that worked with Israel throughout the war.

The leader of the militia, Yasser Abu Shabab, did not respond to questions sent to the militia’s e-mail address.

Relatives mourn as the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire are brought to Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, October 19, 2025.

(Abdel Kareem Hana / Associated Press)

The violence came a day after the State Department said in a rare statement over the weekend that it had “credible reports indicating that Hamas will soon violate the ceasefire against the people of Gaza.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned, “If Hamas continues this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and the integrity of the ceasefire.”

In response, Hamas called what it called “US allegations” “false” and said they “completely comply with misleading Israeli propaganda.” He accused Israel of supporting “criminal gangs” that he said were attacking Palestinian civilians.

“Criminal gangs” was an apparent reference to the militias competing with Hamas for control of Gaza. Last week, video emerged of Hamas operatives said to be executing accused collaborators in Gaza.

Last week, Trump drew attention to the civil conflict in Gaza by reiterating his demand for the disarmament of Hamas, a key part of the 20-point peace agreement. Otherwise, Trump warned Hamas, “We will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, two-thirds of them civilians, and kidnapping about 250, according to Israeli officials.

More than 68,000 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s operation in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which said the majority were women and children and did not distinguish between civilians and combatants in the count.