The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is under threat today, after the Israeli army announced that it had carried out airstrikes in the south of the Palestinian territory, in response to alleged attacks by the Palestinian Hamas on its positions, which the Palestinian movement denied.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the ceasefire violation and ordered the military to act forcefully against terrorist targets in Gaza.
Hamas, on the other hand, reaffirmed its commitment to respecting the ceasefire.
The ceasefire, under pressure from US President Donald Trump, came into effect on October 10, after two years of devastating war in the Gaza Strip triggered by a Hamas attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.
Under the first phase of the agreement, Hamas handed over to Israel on October 13 20 live hostages it was holding in Gaza in exchange for nearly 2.000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, and began handing over the bodies of dead hostages.
The Israeli military said today that "terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on Tsahal forces, who were operating to destroy terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area, in accordance with the terms of the agreement."
The military said it carried out air and artillery strikes on the Rafah area to neutralize the threat, describing the incident as a "flagrant violation of the ceasefire by Hamas."
On the other hand, the armed wing of Hamas announced that they had no knowledge of the incidents and clashes in the Rafah area.
"It is the Zionist occupier who continues to violate the agreement," Izzat al-Rishk, a member of Hamas' political bureau, said earlier.
Israeli officials immediately reacted to the incident, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who wrote "War" on the X network.
Just before the incidents, Israel announced today that it had identified the bodies of two hostages who were handed over by Hamas the previous night in Gaza, as part of the ceasefire agreement. So far, 12 hostage bodies have been handed over to Israel, with a 26th to be handed over.
Israel announced again today that it will not make any compromises until all the bodies of the dead hostages are returned to the country.
Israel is making the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, important for the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory, conditional on the handover of the bodies of all dead hostages.
Hamas says the closure of the Rafah crossing is blocking the entry of necessary equipment to search for bodies reportedly buried under rubble in Gaza.
A large part of the Palestinian territory was destroyed during the Israeli offensive, which caused a dramatic humanitarian situation. While the Israeli army controls all access to the Gaza Strip, the ceasefire agreement provides for the flow of humanitarian aid to the civilian population, who are in dire need of everything.
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