Israeli military says it conducted airstrikes in Gaza's Rafah area

The Israeli war machine machine launched an assail on Gaza on lord's day, the Israeli military confirmed followers media and residents reports, dimming hopes that a U.S.-mediated ceasefire would lead to lasting peace in the enclave as Israel traded blame with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel’s attacks on Sunday were the most serious test of an already fragile ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 11.

The Israeli military said that air force fighter jets carried out airstrikes in Gaza's Rafah area, in the southern Gaza Strip, to remove a threat after "terrorists" opened fire on troops.

It said the militants' actions blatantly "violated" the ceasefire agreement, adding that the military would respond firmly.

Palestinians in Gaza told Reuters they heard explosions and gunfire in Rafah, and witnesses separately reported heavy gunfire from Israeli tanks in the eastern town of Abassan near Khan Younis, also in southern Gaza.

Witnesses in Khan Younis said they heard a wave of airstrikes launched into Rafah early on Sunday afternoon.

Local health authorities in Gaza said on Sunday that two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the eastern Jabalia area of northern Gaza.

The Times of Israel reported that the military was conducting airstrikes in the Rafah area after militants attacked forces there, though it did not cite a source for the information.

An Israeli military official said on Sunday that Hamas had carried out multiple attacks against Israeli forces inside Gaza, including a rocket-propelled grenade attack and a sniper attack against Israeli soldiers.

"Both of the incidents happened in an Israeli-controlled area.... This is a bold violation of the ceasefire," the official said.

Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq said on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group remained committed to the ceasefire, which he accused Israel of repeatedly violating.

Neither al-Risheq nor the Israeli military official made any mention of Sunday's reported Israeli strikes in Gaza.

The government media office in Gaza said on Saturday that Israel had committed 47 violations after the ceasefire deal, leaving 38 dead and 143 wounded.

"These violations have ranged from direct shooting at civilians, to deliberate shelling and targeting operations, as well as the arrest of several civilians," the statement said.

Israel, Hamas accuse each other of ceasefire violations

The Israeli government and Hamas have been accusing each other of violating the ceasefire for days, with Israel saying the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice.

Rafah has largely been shut since May 2024. The ceasefire deal also includes the ramping up of aid to Gaza, where it was determined in August that hundreds of thousands of people were affected by famine, according to the IPC global hunger monitor.

Israel and Hamas have been engaged in a dispute over the return of the bodies of deceased hostages. Israel demanded that Hamas fulfil its obligations in turning over the remaining bodies of all 28 hostages.

Hamas, which returned all 20 live hostages and 12 of the deceased, has said it has no interest in keeping the bodies of remaining hostages. The group said the process needs effort and special equipment to recover corpses buried under rubble.

Formidable obstacles to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war still remain. Key questions — including the disarming of Hamas, the governance of Gaza, the makeup of an international "stabilization force" and moves toward the creation of a Palestinian state — have yet to be resolved.

When asked for comment, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem referred inquiries to the State Department.

Renewed fighting in Gaza and concerns over the ceasefire pushed key Tel Aviv share indices down nearly two per cent on Sunday.

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