(Cairo/Jerusalem) Just over a week after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the US-brokered ceasefire has faced a major test. Israeli media reported that Israeli forces launched airstrikes on the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack in the buffer zone.
The Times of Israel reported on Sunday (October 19) that Hamas fired rocket-propelled grenades and engaged in sniper fire at Israeli forces carrying out a mission in the southern Gaza Strip's Rafah area earlier that day.
The Israeli military said its forces were operating east of the "Yellow Line" buffer zone, aiming to destroy local terrorist infrastructure as agreed. The "Yellow Line" refers to the initial Israeli withdrawal boundary stipulated in the ceasefire agreement and controlled by Israel.
Israeli fighter jets immediately launched airstrikes and artillery shelling of the Rafah area to eliminate the threat. During the operation, Israeli forces destroyed several tunnels and buildings where terrorists were hiding.
The Israeli military condemned the Hamas attack as a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, saying, "The Israeli military will retaliate strongly."
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The report also cited Palestinian media as saying that the Israeli army had begun striking the Deir al-Balah area in the central Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the IDF and security services that day to "take resolute action against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip."
Senior Hamas official Izzat issued a statement that day stating that Hamas remains committed to the ceasefire agreement. He insisted, "It is the occupying power that continues to violate the ceasefire agreement and make excuses for its crimes."
Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of violating the agreement in recent days. The Israeli military said several Hamas members emerged from a tunnel in the Rafah area on Friday (17th) and opened fire on Israeli troops. The attack caused no casualties.
The same day, the Israeli military struck a group of "terrorists" approaching troops in the Khan Yunis area in the southern Gaza Strip. The military stated that it would continue operations to eliminate the immediate threat.
US accuses Hamas of plotting to attack Gaza civilians
Separately, the US State Department issued a statement on Saturday (18th) claiming it had received "credible intelligence" indicating Hamas was planning an attack against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The statement said the planned attack constituted a direct and serious violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermined the significant progress achieved through mediation. "If Hamas carries out an attack, the United States will take measures to protect the people of Gaza and maintain the integrity of the ceasefire."
Washington said it had informed the guarantors of the agreement (the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey) of "an impending Hamas violation of the ceasefire."
The US government statement did not provide specific details of the alleged credible intelligence or elaborate on the measures to be taken.
Separately, Israel and Kazakhstan have clashed over the return of hostage remains. Israel demanded that Hamas fulfill its obligation to hand over the remains of all 28 hostages and accused Hamas of being too slow in doing so.
Hamas has since released all 20 surviving hostages and handed over the remains of 12, including two returned late Saturday night. It shows that it will take manpower, material resources and special equipment to recover more bodies from the rubble.
Netanyahu announced on Saturday that the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt would remain closed until further notice, stressing that its reopening depended on Hamas handing over the remains of the hostages killed.
He also warned that the Gaza war would not end until Hamas disarmed and Gaza was demilitarized. These issues are also key components of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Netanyahu, who has been in power for over 18 years, also told domestic media on the same day that he would run in next November's general election and expected to win.
Netanyahu's judicial reform proposals, proposed at the beginning of his current term, sparked months of massive protests. Since the current round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted in October 2023, Netanyahu's decisions regarding the conduct of the conflict have been harshly criticized by the families of the hostages.
