Israel launched airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza and suspended all aid deliveries on Sunday (October 19th), accusing the militant group of violating a fragile ceasefire by staging a deadly ambush that killed two Israeli soldiers in Rafah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the attack was a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement”, prompting a large-scale retaliation against what it described as “Hamas terrorist targets”.
A “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire
In a statement, the IDF said it hit “dozens of Hamas terrorist targets,” including weapons depots, firing positions and command posts.
“We were responding to a flagrant ceasefire violation,” the military said, adding that six kilometers (3.7 miles) of underground tunnels were destroyed using more than 120 munitions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to “take strong action against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.”
Palestinian officials said at least five people were killed in the attacks, which spread as far north as Gaza City.
Aid suspended, Rafah crossing closed
Israel has also halted all aid flows to Gaza “until further notice,” an Israeli security official told the AP. The Rafah border crossing with Egypt, which was previously expected to reopen this week, will remain closed indefinitely, officials said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that any attempt by Hamas to breach the cease-fire line would trigger military fire.
“The yellow line will be physically marked,” he said. “Any violation or attempt to cross it will be met with fire.”
Hamas denies violations, blames Israel
Hamas has denied orchestrating the Rafah attack and said it remains committed to the ceasefire.
“It appears that the occupation continues to violate the agreement and invent flimsy pretexts to justify its crimes,” Hamas official Ezzat al-Risheq said on Telegram.
The group’s armed wing said it was “not aware of any incidents or clashes in Rafah”, adding that it was “committed to everything agreed, including a ceasefire in all areas in Gaza”.
Hamas later announced that it had found the body of another Israeli hostage, which it would hand over “if conditions permit.”
The US is closely monitoring the situation
The renewed violence comes as U.S. negotiators, including Vice President JD Vance and senior envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, prepare to travel to the region to preserve a ceasefire deal brokered by President Donald Trump on May 10.
Trump’s peace plan, backed by several Arab and Western governments, calls for Hamas to disarm and hand over control of Gaza to the foreign-supervised Palestinian Authority — a condition that Hamas has resisted.
The US State Department warned on Saturday that it had “credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas”, although the group dismissed the claim as “false and in line with Israeli propaganda”.
The path to peace remains fragile
Although the ceasefire has halted two years of bloodshed, mutual recriminations now threaten to derail it.
Hamas says Israeli strikes have killed 46 Palestinians in recent days, while Israel insists it acted only to prevent incursions across the ceasefire line.
“The future of Gaza’s governance, the disarmament of Hamas and the composition of the international stabilization force remain unresolved,” a regional diplomat said, warning that the path to peace “hangs in the balance”.
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