Ceasefire unravels: Gaza sees deadly strikes; aid flows suspended

JERUSALEM – Israel carried out airstrikes on Sunday in the Gaza Strip after what it said was a Hamas attack on its forces, adding to the death toll in the two-year war and upending a delicate US-brokered ceasefire that had brought some relief to the besieged enclave.

The day turned into finger-pointing as each side accused the other of breaking the pact that President Trump said just six days earlier marked the beginning of its conclusion. “golden age” peace in the Middle East.

The ceasefire forced Israel to end its months-long blockade of the enclave, but on Sunday Israel said it had again halted aid flows, potentially leading to the collapse of the Gaza Strip. once again into hunger even as aid groups clamored for more supplies to be delivered.

Sunday's strikes were the biggest challenge yet uneasy truce It happened on October 10 after intense diplomacy – and considerable pressure on the warring sides – by Trump and several Arab and Islamic countries to stop fighting and end a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and virtually wiped out much of the Gaza Strip.

Live broadcasts on Sunday showed plumes of smoke rising from the Gaza Strip as Israeli warplanes struck several areas in Rafah, Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, killing at least 15 people, Palestinian health officials said. The Israeli military said one soldier and one officer were killed.

In a statement, the Israeli military accused Hamas of firing an anti-tank missile at troops in southern Gaza, calling the attack a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement.” The military added that it responded to “eliminate the threat and dismantle tunnel shafts and military installations used for terrorist activities.”

Local media later reported dozens of attacks by Hamas.

“Hamas will pay a high price for every shot fired and every violation of the ceasefire,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said. “If the message is not understood, our response will become even harsher.”

The IDF said the targets were “weapon storage facilities, infrastructure used for terrorist activities, firing posts, terrorist cells and additional terrorist infrastructure. The IDF also struck and dismantled them.” [nearly 4 miles] underground terrorist infrastructure using more than 120 munitions.”

Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, has denied any connection to the violence in Rafah, saying it is “unaware of any events or clashes taking place in the Rafah area” and that it has not had contact with any of its fighters since March, when Israel violated an earlier ceasefire agreement.

Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishek insisted that it is Israel – and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who continue to violate the agreement and come up with “far-fetched excuses to justify their crimes.”

“Netanyahu’s attempts to evade and disavow his obligations are being pressured by his extremist terrorist coalition in an attempt to evade responsibility to mediators and guarantors,” Al-Rishek wrote on his Telegram messenger.

Hamas says Israel has violated the ceasefire 47 times, killing 38 Palestinians and wounding 143 since the truce began on October 10.

In the intervening days, Hamas has handed over 20 live hostages kidnapped in an operation on October 7, 2023, triggering 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 others.

In a later statement on Sunday, the Qassam Brigades said they had recovered another body and would deliver it to Israel the same day “if field conditions permit.” He added that any escalation “will impede the search, excavation and return of the bodies.”

Israel still controls just over half of Gaza.

Sunday's violence prompted 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 must be on the table.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist minister in Netanyahu's government who was opposed to any truce with Hamas, said fighting must resume “with maximum force.” His right-wing ally, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, tweeted just one word: “War!”

Details about what prompted the Israeli attack remained scant. Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the incident began at 10 a.m. when Hamas militants emerged from a tunnel and fired an anti-tank missile at an engineering vehicle. This was followed by sniper fire on another vehicle.

But one Palestinian Telegram channel believed to be close to Hamas said the target was a Palestinian militia that had been active throughout the war with Israel.

The head of this militia, Yasser Abu Shabab, did not respond to questions sent to the militia's email address.

The violence came a day after the State Department said in a rare statement over the weekend that there were “credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.”

The State Department warned that “if Hamas continues this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire.”

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

“Criminal gangs” clearly meant militias competing with Hamas for control of the Gaza Strip. Last week, a video emerged purporting to show Hamas operatives executing accused collaborators in the Gaza Strip.

Last week, Trump highlighted internal conflicts in the Gaza Strip when he repeated his demand that Hamas comply with a key part of the 20-point peace pact: disarm. Otherwise, Trump warned Hamas, “we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”

The war began after Hamas-led militants swept into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people, two-thirds of whom Israeli authorities said were civilians, and kidnapped about 250 more.

More than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which says the majority are women and children and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in the count.