Israeli forces carried out massive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, dropping 153 tons of bombs in retaliation for what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was a ceasefire violation by the Palestinian group Hamas.
“One of our hands holds a weapon, and the other is extended towards peace,” Netanyahu told members of the Knesset yesterday. “Peace is made with the strong, not with the weak. Today, Israel is stronger than ever before.”
Israel said the strikes followed an attack on Sunday that killed two Israeli soldiers, which it blamed on Hamas. The Palestinian group, however, denied any involvement in the incident.
The Israeli military said the strikes targeted Palestinian resistance fighters in the Rafah area, who allegedly opened fire on Israeli soldiers. The statement said the strikes destroyed tunnels and military facilities.
Netanyahu said Israel would respond forcefully to Hamas attacks on Israeli soldiers.
Senior Hamas member Izzat al-Rishek rejected the Israeli claims, stressing that his group respects the ceasefire agreement, which he said Israel had violated by "inventing transparent excuses to justify its crimes."
Hamas' military wing, however, said it remained committed to the Gaza-wide ceasefire agreement, adding that it was not aware of any clashes in Rafah and had not had contact with groups operating there since March.
"We reaffirm our full commitment to implementing all agreements, first and foremost the ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip," the Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.
Palestinian witnesses told Reuters on Sunday that explosions and gunfire were heard in Rafah, that tanks opened fire in the southern town of Abbasan, near Khan Yunis, that an airstrike was carried out on the central town of Zawadda, and that explosions also shook the central town of Deir el-Balah, where, according to doctors at Al-Aqsa Hospital, at least five people were killed.
Israel and Hamas are in a dispute over the return of the bodies of the dead hostages. Israel demands that Hamas fulfill its obligations and hand over the remaining bodies of all 28 hostages.
Hamas has so far returned all 20 live hostages and the bodies of 12 of those killed, but said that finding the remains of bodies buried under the rubble required additional time, effort and special equipment.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu yesterday with the aim of persuading Israel and Hamas to reinstate a ceasefire plan in Gaza, after an outbreak of violence over the weekend that threatened to jeopardize the week-old truce.
During the visit, Witkoff and Kushner will seek to solidify the ceasefire and then begin talks on the next, much more difficult phase of the 20-step plan. US Vice President JD Vance is also scheduled to visit Israel today, and Netanyahu said the two will discuss regional challenges and opportunities.
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