Israel struck southern Gaza on Sunday, according to the Israeli military, after accusing Palestinian militant group Hamas of a “blatant violation” of the first stage of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement “terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire toward IDF troops” in the Rafah area of southern Gaza. The IDF said when contacted for clarification the statement referred to Hamas operatives.
The military said it had started “striking in the area” and said this was a “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.” Hamas has said it is committed to the ceasefire and has accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire.
The first part of the U.S.’s 20-part peace plan for Gaza came into force on October 10, and Hamas handed over the remaining 20 living hostages still held in the strip. Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 Palestinians held by Israeli authorities. The bodies of the 28 deceased hostages are still being returned to Israel.
The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported Israel had handed over the remains of 15 Gazans on Sunday via the International Committee of the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies returned to Gaza to 150.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and took 251 more as hostages into Gaza. Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza in the two years since the attacks have devastated the territory and killed more than 68,000 people, according to Hamas-run health authorities. Israel officials say the figures, which don’t distinguish between combatants and civilians, are not reliable, but they are frequently referenced by international officials and agencies.
Israel on Sunday confirmed Hamas had delivered the remains of 54-year-old Ronen Engel and Thai citizen Suntaya Akrasi, 30. Both were killed during the October 7 attacks, Israel’s military said.
The next stage of the U.S.-brokered deal remains unclear.
The U.S. State Department had said late on Saturday it had “credible reports” that Hamas intended to break the ceasefire agreement and carry out a “planned attack against Palestinian civilians.”
“Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,” the U.S. government statement read. Hamas dismissed the report as baseless.
The Wafa news agency reported two Palestinians were killed and an unspecified number of others injured in an Israeli airstrike east of Jabalia, in northern Gaza.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Saturday the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would “not open until further notice,” adding access to and from the strip would depend on Hamas handing over the remains of the hostages in Gaza, and adhering to the ceasefire agreement.
This is a breaking story and will be updated shortly.
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