A minimum of nine Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes leaving the delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza hanging within the balance.
Israel on Sunday struck targets in southern Gaza after saying its troops got here under fire from Hamas militants, in the primary major test of a Donald Trump’s brokered ceasefire meant to halt greater than two years of war.
The strike hit a makeshift coffeehouse on the coastal side of Zawaida town, in line with Gaza’s Health Ministry, a part of the Hamas-run government.
One other Israeli strike killed no less than two people near the Al-Ahly soccer club within the Nuseirat refugee camp, the ministry said.
The strike hit a tent and wounded eight others, said Awda hospital, which received the casualties.
A senior Egyptian official involved within the ceasefire negotiations said ’round the clock’ contacts were underway to de-escalate the situation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to take ‘strong motion’ against any ceasefire violations but didn’t threaten to return to war.
Israel’s military said that militants fired at troops in areas of Rafah city which can be Israeli-controlled in line with agreed-upon ceasefire lines.
No injuries were reported. The military said Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery.
Hamas, which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations, said communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and ‘we usually are not liable for any incidents occurring in those areas.’
The Palestinian group also said that talks to launch the second phase of ceasefire negotiations have begun.
An agreement got here into effect on October 9, after just over two years of full-scale war which has devastated the Palestinian territory on the Mediterranean coast.
It was the initial phase within the implementation of a 20-point plan written up by US President Donald Trump.
But just 10 days later, the uneasy peace appears fragile.
The Israeli army said this afternoon there had been ‘an anti-tank missile and gunfire’ directed at troops who were ‘operating to dismantle terrorist infrastructure’ within the Rafah area of Gaza.
In a tweet, the IDF added: ‘In response, the IDF has begun striking in the realm to eliminate the threat and dismantle tunnel shafts and military structures used for terrorist activity.
‘These terrorist actions constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, and the IDF will respond firmly.’
An announcement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had called for his defence minister and security chiefs to ‘act forcefully against terrorist targets within the Gaza Strip’.
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Hamas responded by saying it was ‘unaware of any events or clashes happening within the Rafah area’, but added contact with any of its groups that will remain in the realm has been ‘cut off’ since March this yr.
It added: ‘We affirm our full commitment to implementing all the pieces that was agreed upon, foremost amongst which is the ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip.’
The group had also previously accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire after it got here into effect.
In a Telegram post yesterday, an official Hamas account claimed the IDF had violated the agreement 47 times, killing 38 people and wounding 143.
It said: ‘These violations have been monitored in all governorates of the Gaza Strip without exception, confirming that the occupation forces haven’t committed to the cessation of aggression and are continuing their policy of killing and terrorising our Palestinian people.’
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