Israel launched airstrikes in southern Gaza early Sunday and accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by carrying out attacks against its forces.
Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the deal brokered by President Donald Trump and said it was not aware of any clashes. A senior official accused Israel of working to “fabricate flimsy pretexts” for its own actions.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that they had launched strikes in the Rafah area “to eliminate the threat” posed by the militants and “dismantle tunnels and military structures used for terrorist activities.”
Israel said it was acting “in accordance with the ceasefire agreement,” accusing militants of firing an anti-tank missile and shooting at IDF troops in the area. These actions “constitute a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement, and the IDF will respond firmly,” he said.
The attacks are the first such attacks since the beginning of the truce that stopped Israel’s assault on the besieged Palestinian enclave.
An Israeli military officer accused Hamas of a “bold violation of the ceasefire” with incidents including a rocket-propelled grenade attack and a sniper attack on Israeli forces.
“Hamas carried out multiple attacks against Israeli forces beyond the yellow line,” the Israeli military official said, referring to the area where its army is now positioned inside Gaza under the first phase of the ceasefire.
Izzat Al-Rishq, a senior member of Hamas’s political wing, said the group “affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement,” accusing Israel of violating the agreement and working to “fabricate flimsy pretexts” to evade its responsibilities.
Hamas’s armed wing said it was “not aware of any events or clashes taking place in the Rafah area,” adding that the area was under Israeli control and that its contact with groups there had been cut since the collapse of a previous ceasefire in March. He also affirmed his “full commitment to implement everything agreed upon, among which is the ceasefire.”
The truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10, when the group agreed to release all Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees under the first phase of a deal brokered by the United States.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the terms of the agreement.
Israel says Hamas is delaying the release of the bodies of hostages held inside Gaza, while Hamas says it will take time to search for and recover the remains.
Israel identified the two bodies returned by Hamas through the Red Cross on Saturday night as those of hostages Ronen Tommy Engel and Sonthaya Oakkharasri. The identifications bring to 12 the total number of deceased hostages handed over since the truce. 16 bodies remain in Gaza.
The ceasefire also includes increased aid to Gaza, where the world’s leading authority on hunger has declared a famine in some areas.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would remain closed “until further notice,” citing the hostage dispute.
There have been flashes of violence inside Gaza during the ceasefire, marked by at least one public execution and Hamas clashes with rival factions as the militant group tried to reassert control amid the ceasefire in the war-torn territory.
The US State Department said in a social media post on Saturday that there were “credible reports indicating an imminent violation of the ceasefire by Hamas against the people of Gaza.”
Hamas rejected the suggestion, saying it was “entirely consistent with misleading Israeli propaganda.”
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister who opposed the ceasefire, called on Sunday for the IDF to “resume fighting in the Gaza Strip in full force.”
Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democrats party, said in a post on X that a “firm response” to Hamas was needed.
“Achieving a decisive victory in the Gaza Strip requires establishing a moderate alternative to Hamas, an issue that the government has neglected and opted for total failure,” he said.
